Fangio's 300 SL Roadster

TGR Staff - 02/04/2022

When it comes to names in motorsports it is hard to get any bigger than Juan Manuel Fangio, still considered by many to be the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time. After winning championships to Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Maserati Fangio retired to his home in Argentina where he would go on to serve as President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. in the 1970s. 

One-owner cars from the 1950s are rare enough, but the story behind Fangio's Mercedes should make it one of the most valuable collector cars to be sold in recent memory. His tie Mercedes-Bens was solidified thanks to his back to back championships in 1954 and 1955, and when executives a Daimler Benz AG heard that he would be returning after the 1958 season they order the production of a special 300 SL roadster, painted in Metallic Light Blue over Crème, the colors of the Argentinian flag. 

Fangio served as an important brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, a relationship that serviced both parties well, as he had been the official Mercedes-Benz dealer in Buenos Aires since 1951. Years after his retirement, El Maestro, began assembling items from his racing career to fill his official museum, which opened din Balcarce and included this running and driving 300 Sl Roadster, left completely original.

The car is being offered by RM Sotheby's and will be available for public inspection at Sotheby’s London this week. Afterward, it will then go to the Royal Automobile Club, before traveling to the International Concours of Elegance event in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Those interested in buying a piece of automotive history will be able to make an offer in a sealed bid auction from February 28th until March 4th. There is no buyer’s premium for the lot, meaning it functions more like a private sale. The final sale price will not be made public. But we can expect the little blue roadster to fetch some serious bids just based on the 2013 sale of Fangios Mercedes-Benz race car which brought nearly $30 million, at auction. With how hot the collector car market a standard 300 SL roadster brought over $2.3 million in Arizona last month, so the sky is the limit for this increadable car. 

For more visit rmsothebys.com