The world’s most expensive car has sold for a whopping €135 million – and it’s 67 years old.
The 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of only two such versions in existence, was auctioned off earlier this month.
Classic car auction house, RM Sotheby’s said in a statement: “A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe from 1955 has been sold at auction for a record price of €135,000,000 to a private collector.”
And the new record didn’t just surpass the previous record, it smashed it.
The vehicle sold for almost triple the previous record, which was set in 2018 by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that fetched over US$48m.
The invitation-only auction took place on 5 May at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The car is one of just two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing department and is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
The auction house said: “The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.”
The proceeds from the auction will be used to establish a worldwide Mercedes-Benz Fund that will fund environmental science and decarbonisation research.
