This car costs 135 million euros

This car costs 135 million euros

This record is clear: a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé from 1955 was auctioned off to a private collector for a record price of 135 million euros. This makes the Mercedes by far the most expensive classic car ever sold at auction. 

So far, a Ferrari 250 GTO, which was auctioned in 2018, was the record holder: The red racer, of which only 36 were built, sold for 70 million US dollars (around 65 million euros today). 

The new record holder and therefore the most expensive car of all time is a further development of the 300 SLR W 196, the famous Silver Arrow. The long-time racing director Rudolf Uhlenhaut (1906-1989) planned a new racing car for the 1956 racing season. The engine, which had last produced 280 hp in the SLR with an open cockpit, was increased to 302 hp. 

The sale of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé took place on May 5th as part of a secret auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in collaboration with the RM Sotheby’s auction house. The coupé was part of the non-public vehicle collection of Mercedes-Benz Classic. 

The vehicle is an absolute rarity, as only two prototypes were built at the time. At Mercedes we speak of a milestone in sports car development. Uhlenhaut drove the one racer as a company car, which is how the car got its nickname.