A 1958 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster once owned by Juan Manuel Fangio, who used it frequently, will soon go on sale. This copy in the colors of Argentina has had no other owner and still bears the marks of use of the five-time F1 world champion.
Juan Manuel Fangio was the first “super champion” in Formula 1. The first world championship in the discipline was held in 1950 and the Argentinian won five titles between 1951 and 1957.
It was not until Michaël Schumacher in 2003 that this record was broken. Only Lewis Hamilton has also done better since, the German and the Briton totaling seven titles each to date. Fangio achieved many of his racing successes with Mercedes.
On his retirement in 1958, he became the brand’s distributor in Argentina (before being named president of Mercedes Argentina a few years later) and the manufacturer from across the Rhine offered him a 300 SL Roadster. This is about to go on sale.
70,000 km in the hands of the champion
This 300 SL was specially configured for Fangio. Its “Metallic Light Blue” body color and cream leather upholstery echo the colors of the Argentine flag. Fangio first used the car across Europe before having it imported to Argentina. In total, he traveled about 70,000 km at the wheel before the convertible joined the ranks of the Fangio de Balcarce museum inaugurated in 1986. This establishment now wants to part with it. The car’s mileage has changed very little since then. Yes, the 300 SL of Juan-Manuel Fangio offered for sale is a first hand.
Fangio’s car “in its own juice”
The roadster has been maintained and remains perfectly functional according to RM Sotheby’s who will sell it. It has not, however, been restored and therefore still bears the marks of its use by the Argentine legend. The leather of the driver’s seat, the rim of the steering wheel and the knob of the gear lever have in particular been patinated by years of driving. The icing on the cake: the car is sold with its original hard-top and tools.
The sale will be held from February 28 to March 4, 2022 and will take the form of sealed auctions, each potential buyer having to offer a single sum without being aware of the other auctions. The final price will not be made public by the auction house; it should be counted in millions of euros. In the meantime, the car will be exhibited in London at Sotheby’s then at the Royal Automobile Club, before being transported to Switzerland where it will be visible at the St Moritz Concours d’Élégance on February 26th.
