Tazio 14: the 50 million F1 car explained

The ins and outs of the most valuable Formula 1 ever, the 1955 Mercedes W 196 R Streamliner. The amazing story of how a decrepit Porsche 356 Speedster turned out to be the car James Dean raced, also in 1955. And then there was the Sebring race in 1965, famous for the Chaparral victory and the atrocious weather. That, and much more, is Tazio 14.

Stirling Moss, giving his Mercedes W 196 R Streamliner the beans in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. Using Monza’s infamous banked turn – still there today – Moss would record fastest lap before experiencing engine trouble. 1955 was the year where Mercedes’ Silver Arrows were dominant, technologically outclassing all other manufacturers.

The Streamliner is one of the most remarkable experiments in F1. And now the Moss car – also used by Fangio – is also the most valuable single seater ever, sold in February for over 50 million. With the help of Mercedes Heritage, we portray one of the most significant racecars in history.

Finding Jimmy Dean’s Speedster

It was a wreck, good for parts for his other Porsche 356s only. And then, the owner of the Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster read a book on James Dean. A long quest led to the most unbelievable news: that wreck had been in 1955 the very car Jimmy Dean had raced on three occasions. The only races Dean ever participated in, before setting of on that faithful journey in the new Porsche 550 Spyder he had just bought.

12 Hours of Sebring 1965

There really was a river running through the pit lane in Sebring, sixty years ago. People were ankle-deep in water, cars were floating. The leader – Jim Hall in the Chaparral 2 – even pulled in for a couple of laps. “We figured we had enough of a lead”, says Hall. Dave Friedman pulled some rather unbelievable pictures from his archive and Jim Donnelly talked to Hall to talk about Chaparral’s breakthrough in international sports car racing.

Maserati Grantrofeo Barchetta

Alejandro de Tomaso co-owed Maserati in the early nineties. Feeling the pressure from Fiat to sell, he bowed out with one last attempt to revive Maserati’s glorious racing past. With a turbocharged V6 and lightweight chassis, the Barchetta offered supercar performance for a fraction of the cost. The Grantrofeo single-make series lasted for just two seasons before it was canned. De Tomaso would not live to see the result, but he did indeed manage to revive the competition spirit within Maserati.

Ferrari’s first win in Formula 1

Every success story has to start somewhere. On July 14, 1951, Froilán González drove his Ferrari Tipo 375 to the Scuderia’s first of – currently – 248 F1 victories. The road to the first win was anything but a walk in the park, and it took Ferrari a while to create a package that was capable of beating the dominant Alfa Romeos. But once that first win in the British Grand Prix was in the bag, the balance of sporting power in Italy firmly shifted from Milan to Maranello.

Furthermore

We have Martin Brundle sharing his views on the 2025 F1 season, just prior to the Australian Grand Prix. He also reflects on his own career. “On my day, I could beat Senna and Schumacher. The key phrase is ‘on my day’.”

We look at the incredible success story in touring cars that is the BMW E30 M3. Peter Stevens reminds us of the days when tobacco sponsoring ended and how some creative thinking was necessary to comply with the regulations’ complications.

And the columns of Hurley Haywood, Steve Soper and Christian Geistdörfer.

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