British auction house Bonhams conducted an auction last July 12 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and all eyes were glued to the car under lot number 320—a 1954 Mercedes-Benz type W 196 R Grand Prix single-seat racing car, the original Juan Manuel Fangio winning Grand Prix car.
It is the only postwar Silver Arrow race car in private ownership. As the hammer fell at £17.5 million, it set a world-record price for an auction car. The mystery, however, was the identity of the unidentified telephone bidder who paid a total of £20.896 million (approximately $31.6 million) including the premium due to the auction house and other related fees.
This historically important race car propelled the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow to victory as Juan Manuel Fangio won the German and Swiss Grand Prix races in 1954. With these victories, Fangio was said to have paved the way for his first Formula 1 World Championship title with Mercedes-Benz. The year 1954 was also a significant milestone as it marked the successful return of Mercedes-Benz into Grand Prix racing with the W 196 R race cars.
Only 10 out of the 14 units which were built are still in existence.
Photos and more details posted at motioncars.inquirer.net