A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was auctioned for around $48 million in August 2018 and has held the record for most expensive car in auction history until now. That record, in fact, has been nearly tripled, when the world's most expensive car sold for 135 million euros ($143 million) in Stuttgart, Germany on May 5 by RM Sotheby's and also became one of the 10 most expensive objects in auction history.
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The car is a 1955 Mercedez-Benz 300 SLR, more precisely an "Uhlenhaut Coupé", of which only two were built. Both examples remained in the manufacturer's possession in Stuttgart, where one is on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the other served as a demo vehicle until it went under the hammer. The proceeds of the auction serve as a basis for the newly founded "Mercedes-Benz Fund", which finances research grants for young people in the fields of environmental science and carbon dioxide reduction.
The "Uhlenhaut Coupé" was named after Rudolf Uhlenhaut (1906-1989), who had been a senior engineer in the racing car department of Daimler-Benz AG beginning in 1936. It was therefore his responsibility to send competitive “Silver Arrows” onto the world's racetracks again after the Second World War.
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The result in 1952 was the W 194 with a Type 300 engine (Mercedes 300 SL), which was also successful in several races. Two years later, the W 198 was followed by the iconic 300 SL gullwing coupé for road use.
Among the new Formula 1 racing cars from Mercedes-Benz, the W 196 with an eight-cylinder in-line engine made a name for itself. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, which competed in the sports car world championship founded in 1953, was built on the basis of this car.
Derived from this open two-seater, Rudolf Uhlenhaut designed a coupé with gullwing doors and a 302 hp engine, which was the fastest road-legal car at the time with a top speed of 290 km/h.
However, after the devastating accident at the 24-hour race in Le Mans on June 11, 1955, Mercedes-Benz withdrew from racing, meaning that the "Uhlenhaut Coupé" was never used in long-distance races as planned, and no more were built after the two prototype specimens. Rudolf Uhlenhaut then used one of his coupés as a company car.
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Against this background, the "Uhlenhaut Coupé" developed over time into an absolute icon in automotive circles, which the price now achieved more than clearly reflects.
"Words can’t really do justice to the importance and significance of this sale," said Peter Wallman, Chairman RM Sotheby's UK & EMEA. "It’s reasonable to say that nobody ever imagined that this car would ever be offered for sale, so for Mercedes-Benz to ask RM Sotheby’s to conduct the auction was an absolute honor.”
The new owner has agreed that this record-setting car will be made available for public viewing on special occasions.
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