Fangio W196 up for sale

20/03/2013

Mat Coch writes:

The Mercedes W196 in which Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 German and Swiss Grands Prix is up for sale.

The car (similar to that shown above), with which the Argentinean won the second of his five world championship titles, will be put on auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

It's believed the car, chassis 00006/54, was the first open-wheeled Mercedes W196 after it debuted with streamlined bodywork and features an inline eight-cylinder engine, fuel injection and inboard brakes. In 1954 it was the cutting edge of technology.

Still in original condition, including some race blemishes, the car has been 'warehoused' for the last thirty years.

"My motoring auction career spans five decades and I have been privileged to have handled some of the world's most desirable and important motor cars," said Robert Brooks, Chairman of Bonhams and the man in charge of the sale. "To handle the sale of this legendary W196 Grand Prix Car - the only one out of captivity- could well be the pinnacle."

Fangio won four straight world championships from 1954, two of which were at the wheel of a W196, and is regarded by many as the greatest Formula One driver of all time. Along with the Maserati 250F the Mercedes W196 is one of the most iconic Formula One cars of the sport's first decade.