1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe
Courtesy: RM Sotheby’s
An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz race automobile bought for $143 million previous this month, making it the most costly automobile ever bought.
RM Sotheby’s introduced it auctioned off a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe for 135 million euros, or about $143 million. The sale smashed the former file for the most costly automobile bought at public sale by means of greater than $95 million and crowned the $70 million file for a automobile bought privately.
The successful bid was once made by means of British automobile collector, consultant and broker Simon Kidston on behalf of an unnamed shopper. Kidston lobbied the Mercedes-Benz board for 18 months to imagine promoting the auto.
The sale, first reported by means of Hagerty Insider, came about Might 5 in a secretive and extremely strange public sale on the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Most effective decided on creditors and Mercedes-Benz shoppers have been invited to wait.
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is considered one of simplest two created in 1955 and is thought of as one of the crucial prized vehicles in auto historical past. It was once constructed by means of Mercedes’ race division and named after its leader engineer and dressmaker, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe
Courtesy: RM Sotheby’s
The automobile was once in line with the corporate’s a hit W 196 R Grand Prix automobile, which gained two International Championships with driving force Juan Manuel Fangio. The 300 SLR had a bigger, 3.0-liter engine and was once in a position to achieve 180 mph, making it one of the most quickest road-legal vehicles on the time.
The Mercedes-Benz corporate owned either one of the 300 SLR vehicles, and the Might 5 sale took many creditors by means of wonder.
“It is cheap to mention that no person ever imagined that this automobile would ever be introduced on the market, so for Mercedes-Benz to invite RM Sotheby’s to behavior the public sale was once an absolute honor,” stated Peter Wallman, RM Sotheby’s chairman for the U.Okay. and EMEA.
Mercedes-Benz stated it is going to donate the proceeds to create a fund for scholarships and academic analysis into the surroundings and decarbonization.
Previous to the sale, the most costly automobile bought at public sale was once a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went for $48.5 million at RM Sotheby’s in 2018. A 1963 Ferrari GTO bought privately in 2018 for $70 million.
