1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut sold for $143 million, becomes most expensive car
According to the auction house, the invitation-only sale took place on May 5 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, and the vehicle's high price ranks it in the "top 10 most costly items ever sold at auction in any collecting category."
FollowRM Sotheby's reported that a 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of just two of its kind, was auctioned off earlier this month for 135 million euros ($143 million), making it the most expensive automobile ever sold. According to the vintage vehicle auction firm, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was sold to a private collector for nearly quadruple the previous record price for a car, which was achieved in 2018 by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for over $48 million.
According to the auction house, the invitation-only sale took place on May 5 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, and the vehicle's high price ranks it in the "top 10 most costly items ever sold at auction in any collecting category."
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The 300 SLR is ranked sixth or seventh in an AFP list of artworks sold at auction in recent years, with Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" holding the all-time record ", which sold for $450.3 million in November 2017. "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" comes after "by Andy Warhol, which also sold for $195 million this month.
According to RM Sotheby's, the automobile is one of just two prototypes created by the Mercedes-Benz racing department and is named for its designer and head engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
According to RM Sotheby's and news accounts, the 300 SLR was inspired by the W196 R Grand Prix race vehicle, which won two Formula One world championships with Italian Juan Manuel Fangio in the driver's seat in 1954 and 1955.
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However, tragedy overtook the Mercedes-Benz team in June 1955, when one of its 300 SLR cars crashed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, killing French driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators.
The proceeds from the auction, according to RM Sotheby's, will be used to establish a global Mercedes-Benz Fund to support environmental science and decarbonization research.
