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Rare Mercedes-Benz Sells For $143 Million, Shattering Records
A rare Mercedes-Benz (DDAIF) race car has sold for $143 million U.S. at auction, shattering all
previous sales records and making it the most expensive car ever sold.
RM Sotheby's announced it auctioned off a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe for
$143 million U.S. The sale smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at
auction by more than $95 million U.S. and topped the $70 million U.S. record for a car sold
privately.
The winning bid was made by British car dealer Simon Kidston on behalf of an unnamed client.
Kidston lobbied the Mercedes-Benz board for 18 months to consider selling the ultra-rare car.
The sale took place in a secretive and highly unusual auction held at the Mercedes-Benz
Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Only selected collectors and Mercedes-Benz customers were
invited to attend the auction.
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is one of only two created in 1955 and is regarded as one of the
most prized cars in automotive history. It was built by Mercedes' race department and named
after its chief engineer and designer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
The car was based on the company's successful W 196 R Grand Prix car, which won two World
Championships with driver Juan Manuel Fangio. The 300 SLR had a larger, 3.0-liter engine and
was able to reach 180 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest cars at the time.
The Mercedes-Benz company owned both of the 300 SLR cars, and the auction of one of them
took many collectors by surprise.
Mercedes-Benz said it will use proceeds from the auction to create a fund for scholarships and
educational research into the environment and decarbonization.
Prior to the sale, the most expensive car sold at auction was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went
for $48.5 million U.S. in 2018. A 1963 Ferrari GTO sold privately in 2018 for $70 million U.S.
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