Previously, the most expensive grand prix car was also a Mercedes driven by Fangio - the W196 S from 1954 - that went for $29.6m (£19.6m) after commission and taxes at Goodwood in 2013.

A road-legal race car of epic proportions ... in the WSC as its W196 sibling was in Formula 1. While it won three of the six races on the calendar and brought Mercedes-Benz the title, the SLR ...

The sale surpassed the previous record for a grand prix car of $29.6m, paid in 2013 for a 1954 Mercedes W196 R that Fangio also drove. Advertisement The streamliner also becomes the second most ...