The rhinoceros went into the world of assembled cars under the hammer, selling for a staggering amount that broke the record.
Mercedes-Benz Group (MBG.DE) announced that a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupé” from its collection sold for $143 million (€135 million) at a private auction. The previous record for a car sold at auction was $70 million for a 1962 Ferrari (a race250 GTO in 2018.
Known as the “Mona Lisa” of cars, Mercedes’ sports car was designed for the road by Rudolf Ullenhout, president of Daimler-Benz Sports Cars, and based on the single-seat W196 Grand Prix race car. Only 2 SLR Coupes were ever built, and none were ever sold by Mercedes.
Auto assembler Simon Kidston claims he pressured Mercedes to sell one of the models at a private auction, which Mercedes agreed with all proceeds going into the Mercedes-Benz Fund, the automaker’s global scholarship program. Kidston made a winning bid of $143 million for a private client.
“If you asked classic car experts and top collectors over the past half century to name the most desirable cars in the world, there is a good chance that they would have come up with the same model: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR,” Kidston said in a statement. The antics, the extensive racing history, the power of the three-pointed star on the front of the car, and the fact that it was never sold.”
“The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars was made with very common sense – in the interest of a good cause,” Mercedes chief first Kalinhos said. “At the same time, achieving the highest price paid for a car is exceptional and humbling: a Mercedes-Benz is by far the most valuable car in the world.”
In fact, with the 300 SLR now the record holder for the most expensive car bought at auction, the first five rounds are new with all the Ferraris – the aforementioned 1962250 GTO, followed by another 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from Scaglietti ($48.4 million), Another 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta ($38.1 million), and a 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti ($35.7 million).
As much desired by collectors as Ferrari race cars as the 250 GTO, it’s no surprise how much the 300 SLR has gone due to its unique heritage and extremely limited quantity.
“The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire this piece of Mercedes-Benz history cannot be overlooked. Its stunning shape, innovative period features and fearsome performance will be enough for most people to appreciate this car as an all-time legend in the auction listing,” said RM Sotheby’s on the auction listing. The design of the cars – and its amazing history adds to its appeal.” for the car. “There are no other 300 SLRs in private hands, and the opportunity to acquire such a vehicle, straight from the company’s years of ownership, is surely never to be repeated.”
With this summer’s big auctions lining up around this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August, classic car collectors and industry watchers will be keen to see if more Mercedes models will fetch bids against Ferrari rivals given the record-breaking 300 SLR bid. . Auction houses RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Co. The Bonhams are all rare Mercedes-Benz models for sale, with more likely to be added to the Monterey Car Week auction catalogs in the coming weeks.
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Bras Subramanian is a Senior Automotive Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. you can follow it Twitter and on Instagram.
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