Bonhams held their 20th-anniversary “Festival of Speed” sale last week and in that sale was a true piece of racing history. A new record for a car at auction was set with the 1954 2.5 litre Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 Grand-Prix single-seater which Juan Manuel Fangio drove when he won the 1954 French Grand Prix. There was no estimate given but Bonhams said the price would likely be higher than the previous record of $16.4 million paid for a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa prototype in 2011 and they were absolutely correct. This piece of racing history sold for a whopping £19.6 million ($29.7 million) which is nearly double the selling price of the 1957 Ferrari prototype. I couldn’t imagine this machine seeing too many more miles with a price tag like that!
