In Monaco, the marque showcased a 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé that recently sold for the eye-popping record sum.
It’s hard to believe that a car representing such a pivotal shift for AMG could be upstaged, but indeed it was. Less than an hour after the Vision AMG was made public, Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, officially announced what’s claimed to be not just the world’s most expensive car sold at auction, but the priciest, period.
The streamlined coupé fetched a record-obliterating $142.8 million at an invite-only event presided by RM Sotheby’s at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on May 5.Mercedes-Benz AG. The car is one of only two prototype racers developed by engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and his team for the 1955 Carrera Panamericana. That year’s competition, though, was called off, and Mercedes abandoned motorsport entirely, all due to the infamous Le Mans tragedy that June where Pierre Levegh and his SLR catapulted into the crowd, killing the driver along with 83 spectators. Uhlenhaut’s project was subsequently shuttered and this particular example, fit with a 297 hp inline-eight engine mated to a five-speed transmission, came into his possession. The fact that its top speed was touted to be approximately 186 mph only added to this 300 SLR’s mystique.“As the saying goes: Never say never,” Källenius said when breaking the news. “We have been approached many times over the years by collectors, museums and other interested parties wanting to buy an Ulenhaut; we’ve always said no. But it has become increasingly clear to us that having our heritage hidden away in the holy halls is, in some ways, a missed opportunity. These incredible cars are works of art and should be more widely celebrated. We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what it’s really worth . . . and what if we did something good with the money, something for society?’” That thought process led to the formation of the Mercedes-Benz Fund, which the sale of the Uhlenhaut Coupé helped start. Renata Jungo Brüngger, a member of Mercedes-Benz’s Board of Management for Integrity and Legal Affairs, refers to the proceeds as “seed money” for what she describes in the official statement as a “global scholarship program supporting young people in their studies, commitment and actions toward a more sustainable future.”It’s fitting that the location on the French Riviera, not far from where Mercedes first came to life on a racetrack in Nice back in 1901, was the stage for the world’s oldest automaker to spotlight these two disparate machines. Although separated by nearly seven decades, each now fulfills the same purpose of illuminating the Mercedes-Benz’s road ahead.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A 1955 Mercedes Just Nabbed $143 Million at Auction, Making It the Most Expensive Car Ever SoldThe 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at auction by more than $95 million.
Read more »
Mercedes 300 SLR is most expensive car ever sold at £114m | AutocarStep away, Ferrari 250 GTO; a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe has just become the most expensive car ever sold after trading hands for €135 million - the equivalent of £114.4 million
Read more »
Mercedes just sold the world's most expensive car for $142 millionMercedes-Benz confirmed on Thursday that it recently sold the world's most expensive car. A very rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that had been kept in the German automaker's collection was sold to a private owner for €135 million, the equivalent of $142 million. That price makes it the most expensive car known to ever have been sold, according to Hagerty, a company that tracks collector car values.
Read more »
Mercedes just sold the world's most expensive car for $142 millionThe previous record sale price for a car was reportedly $70 million paid in 2018 for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO.
Read more »
Here's why Mercedes-Benz sold a car for a record $143 millionMercedes-Benz has sold one of two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe racing cars it built but never used in competition due to the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans disaster.
Read more »
Most expensive car in the world sells for $142 millionMercedes-Benz just made history by selling the most expensive car in the world, the company confirmed Thursday.
Read more »