“Nobody ever imagined that this car would be offered for sale.”
In the market for a new car? Do you have hundreds of millions lying around? Too late. A motor vehicle has already been snapped up for a jaw-dropping fee, making it the single most expensive car of all time.
One of just two prototypes constructed by the Mercedes-Benz racing department in 1955, the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe officially sold at auction earlier this month for an eye-watering €135 million.
Auction house RM Sotheby’s confirmed the pricey transaction this week, revealing that the trade took place on Thursday, 5 May. The car was sold to a private collector.
“The car, which is one of two created in 1955, has always been regarded as one of the great jewels of motoring history, but few ever imagined that it would be offered for sale,” notes a Sotheby’s spokesperson.
“The car is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of automotive engineering and design, often cited as being ‘the most beautiful car in the world’ by automotive experts and enthusiasts worldwide.”
The sale dwarfs the previous record, held by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold in 2018, by more than €90 million.
It is expected that the private collector in question will allow for the vehicle to remain accessible for public display on “special occasions”, while a second original 300 SLR Coupé will stay in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
“Words can’t really do justice to the importance and significance of this sale,” said RM Sotheby’s chairman Peter Wallman. “It’s reasonable to say that nobody ever imagined that this car would ever be offered for sale.”
Images and video via RM Sotheby’s
