Every year the fabled Goodwood Festival of Speed in England brings exciting automotive news to our attention. Car fans from all over the world come to the event to see amazing vehicles and cheer their favorite participants during the hill climb.
One of the most important vehicles that appeared at this year’s edition of the festival was a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula One car, the very Merc that brought Juan Manuel Fangio his second F1 championship victory. The car is pretty much in the same condition as it was when it was driven by the Argentinian racing legend, so after a few reconditioning touches it will be perfectly capable to stroll on 21st century streets, though we don’t really expect its owner to ever take it out of the garage.
Due to its very special provenance and history, the classic ridewas expected to sell for a prohibitively high price, and experts were pretty sure it would set a new auction record, sending the previous most expensive car sold at auction (a $16.39 million Ferrari 250 Testa Rosa from 1957) into oblivion. Their expectations were proven right when a telephone bidder offered and impressive $29.6 million for it.
