Juan Fangio 300SL

Juan Manuel Fangio was certainly the greatest racing driver of his era, and perhaps the best of all time. His record of five F1 world championships stood for 47 years, surpassed only by Michael Schumacher. Incredibly, Fangio won the championships with four different builders - Ferrari, Alpha Romeo, Maserati and, mportantly, twice with Mercedes.

This story is about a car that forever bonded these two legends, Mercedes and Fangio, who together conquered every challenge of their day. It’s also a Hemmels story - but we’ll get to that.

In October 1957, at the peak of his career, Daimler-Benz presented Juan Manuel Fangio with a 300SL Roadster in recognition of his outstanding achievements for Mercedes motorsport.

Finished in metallic blue with cream interior, Fangio got the news by telegram whilst at London’s famous Dorchester Hotel. He first set eyes on the car whilst it was on display in London at the British International Auto Exhibition. This new 1958 300SLRoadster would become Fangio’s favourite car, in which “El Maestro” (The Master) would clock up over 72,000 miles touring Europe and Argentina .

Just weeks after the car was delivered in time for his 47th birthday, Fangio retired full time from racing. From mid 1958 until early 1960 Fangio toured Europe as an Ambassador for Mercedes, using this very car as his daily driver. Yet his next ambition was to develop the South American market for Mercedes-Benz and in 1960 he moved back to Argentina, importing his beloved 300SL Roadster as a ‘trophy’ to circumvent the importation blockages imposed by the Argentinian government on automobiles.

With the ‘trophy’ now safely in the country, a master mechanic was recruited and sent to the Mercedes-Benz factory in Stuttgart, Germany to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to support the 300SL Roadster.

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s Fangio used the car to tour Argentina as he opened Mercedes-Benz dealerships and YPF service stations throughout the country. The car was also featured frequently as a national showpiece, for parading Miss World (Argentina) in 1978 and twice for the Mil Millas (1,000 Miles) Argentina endurance race.

Perhaps this Roadster’s most important role remained in private as it became a significant part of the Fangio family. Fangio’s nephew Juan Manueli Fangio II, also an accomplished racing car driver, recalls: “That car marked my childhood. I remember that on the weekends we would go to Mar del Plata to play soccer on the beach, and since I was the youngest I would travel in the trunk.”

In 1986, Fangio donated the car to the museum that bears his name, in his hometown of Balcarce and just a few blocks from where El Maestro wasborn. Again his nephew recalls:

“That car identified my uncle after his retirement. It occupied a preferential place among all the vehicles he had, not only because of the characteristics it had, but also because of the importance it gave for having been a gift from Mercedes Benz.”

One Carefree Owner from New

And, yes, the rumours are true. Hemmels has partnered with RM Sotheby’s to offer Juan Manuel Fangio’s 300SL Roadster (click here) ➤ at a private auction in March 2022. Just one “carefree” owner from new.

No other car in motorsport comes with such significant and unequivocal provenance, which is why the next custodian of this car that bonded two legends will be uniquely privileged to become forever part of motor racing history.

Juan Fangio's 300SL Roadster - and Hemmels