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The World’s Most Valuable Car Sold for R2,2 Billion After Private Collector Buys 1955 Mercedes 300 Slr UCoupé
Cars and Tech

The World’s Most Valuable Car Sold for R2,2 Billion After Private Collector Buys 1955 Mercedes 300 Slr UCoupé

by  Sean Parker 3 min read
  • The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has been sold at auction for a record price of €135 million or R2,2 billion to a private collector
  • The 300 SLR is an icon of the automotive world, the car is one of just two prototypes built and named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut
  • The car has been owned by Mercedes-Benz since its creation in 1955 and its selling price exceeds the previous record price for a car by more than €90 million or R1,5 billion and places the car in the top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction in any collecting category

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A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has been sold at auction for a record price of €135 million or R2,2 billion to a private collector.

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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.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupé, mercedes-benz, auction, most valuable car
The sale of the most valuable car in the world: the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupé sold for R2,2 billion. Image: Newspress
Source: UGC

According to Newspress this example is one of just two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing department, 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.

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The remarkable 300 SLR was based on the hugely successful W 196 R Grand Prix car which won two World Championships in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio, but with its engine enlarged to 3,0 litres for sports car racing. The car was capable of 289km/h mph, making it one of the fastest road-legal cars to have ever been created at the time.

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupé, mercedes-benz, auction, most valuable car
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupe's proceeds will be used to establish a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund”. Image: Newspress
Source: UGC

According to RM Sotheby's the sale of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé took place on May 5th at an auction held at the Mercedes­Benz Museum in Stuttgart, with the auction house working in close cooperation with Mercedes-Benz throughout the entire process to ensure the sale was concluded to the highest possible standard.

Among the invitees were selected Mercedes customers and international collectors of cars and art who share the corporate values of Mercedes-Benz.

The winning bid on the car was an incredible €135 million or R2,2 billion making it the most valuable car ever sold and a price which exceeds the existing record by more the €90 million or R1,4 billion.

In what felt like a surreal experience, the bidding opened at a price higher than the selling price of the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2018, the car which previously ranked as the most valuable ever sold at auction.

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The 300 SLR now sits in the top ten most valuable items ever sold at auction.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupé, mercedes-benz, auction, most valuable car
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR UCoupé was capable of 289km/h mph, making it one of the fastest road-legal cars to have ever been created at the time. Image: Newspress
Source: UGC

The proceeds will be used to establish a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund” that will provide educational and research scholarships in the areas of environmental science and decarbonisation for young people.

Mercedes allows will.i.am to create his own vision of a custom AMG model

Mercedes-AMG and multi-platinum American rapper, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, will.i.am ((born William Adams), have come together once again to create a project that has a legacy of good intentions, Briefly News reports.

The project has been under strict secrecy, with the one-off vehicle modified by West Coast Customs to execute his fearless vision for “The Flip”. A bespoke vehicle called "The Flip" made its debut at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Miami last Sunday with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in attendance too. The model is based on Mercedes-AMG's GT 4-door coupé.

The aim of the project is to provide more students from disadvantaged communities access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) education. This is done to equip students with the skills required for future-focused jobs and to invent new technologies.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Sean Parker avatar

Sean Parker Sean Parker is a motoring journalist with over 10 years' experience, who started out in the industry as the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists' Bursar student. Since then, the Cape Town-born editor has gone on to launch a national newspaper called Gears and Gadgets and worked for the country's premier online and print motoring publications before joining Briefly News to head up its Car & Tech section. He enjoys watching live sport and can't wait for F1 to make its debut in Mzansi.

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