A vintage Mercedes Grand Prix racecar sold for $54 million at auction last weekend. The rare closed-wheel single-seater was driven by Fangio and Stirling Moss. Mercedes donated the car to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1965.

History is priceless only if no one can afford it or it’s not for sale. The first publicly-available 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen sold for $53.9 million at auction on Saturday after spending decades in the hands of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

RM Sotheby's sold a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen for $52.6 million, second only to a $142 million car the house sold in 2022.