Yahoo Movies Mercedes 300 SLR Prototype Sells for $142 Million, Shattering Most Expensive Car Record
Mercedes confirmed Thursday it has sold one of its 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés from its own collection for €135 million (roughly $142 million), shattering the record for most expensive car ever sold. The announcement confirms a report first published by Hagerty earlier in the month.
The company made the sale on May 5 at the Mercedes museum via a private auction held by RM Sotheby's. The sale price makes this SLR the most valuable car by almost $100 million, beating out the Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for $48 million in 2018. It's also one of the top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction ever, according to RM. The proceeds for the auction will go towards establishing the “Mercedes-Benz Fund,” a program for providing scholarships for students in the environmental science and decarbonization fields.
This 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is one of just two prototypes built by Mercedes in 1955. Based on the W196R Grand Prix racer driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, it sports iconic gullwing doors and a 3.0-liter straight-six engine. This particular car received a full restoration in 1986, and remains in immaculate condition.
“We are proud that we can contribute with our historical collection to this initiative connecting the past with the future of engineering and decarbonization technology," Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, said in a statement. “The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupé remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.”
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