Rare cars command premium prices, but this mid-century Mercedes-Benz racer is in a league of its own. It is expected to sell for over $52m (approximately €50m) at auction via RM Sotheby’s on 1 February 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen was driven by racing legends Sir Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. If it meets its estimate, it will become the second-most expensive car ever auctioned (the current record holder is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, which sold for $142m in 2022.)

Five-time World Drivers’ Champion Fangio piloted chassis number 00009/54 to victory in the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. Later that year, Sir Stirling Moss drove it at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where it achieved the fastest lap. It was officially retired after the race and was consigned to the Mercedes-Benz Museum before being gifted to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1965, where it was housed for nearly six decades since.

This auction marks the first time a streamliner-bodied W 196 R has been offered for private sale. Its hand-formed body is crafted from Elektron magnesium alloy, weighing only 88 pounds, and it boasts a top speed of 186 mph. Only four complete examples are known to exist adding to its appeal.

The car underwent a minor restoration in 1980, receiving its correct DB 180 silver metallic paint and No. 16 racing numbers to match its 1955 Monza livery. In 2015, it was refinished by Canepa Motorsports for its appearance at the Petersen Automotive Museum reopening in Los Angeles.

See more on the gallery or head to the auction site to read its full racing history, ahead of the sale in February.

Read next: A remote Scottish island is asking for £125,000

10 real-life Batmobile Tumblers are for sale