The vintage Mercedes sells for a colossal record – 143 million dollars

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of two of its kind, was sold at auction earlier this month for a whopping 135 million euros ($ 143 million), making it the most expensive car ever sold, RM Sotheby’s announced Thursday. .

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was sold to a private collector, the company said in a statement from a classic car auction that is almost three times the previous price record for a car that was set in the 2018 Ferrari 250 GTO 1962 release. $ 48 million.

The auction by invitation took place on May 5 at the MercedesBenz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, the auction house said, adding that the high price of the car is among the “top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction in any collection category.”

According to the AFP ranking of works of art sold at auction in recent years, 300 SLR ranks sixth or seventh, with the record for all time belongs to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi”, which sold in November 2017 for 450.3 million dollars.

Next up is Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” which sold also this month for $ 195 million.

The car is one of two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing division, and is named after its creator and chief engineer Rudolf Uhlengaut, according to RM Sotheby’s.

“A private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe will remain available for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains the property of the company and will continue to be on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart,” the auction company added.

According to RM Sotheby’s and the press, the 300 SLR, recognizable by its unusual lines and butterfly doors, was modeled on the W196 R Grand Prix race car, which won the Formula One World Championship in 1954 and 1955 with Italian Juan Juan Manuel Fuel drivers. seat.

But in June 1955, the Mercedes-Benz team had a tragedy when a 24-hour Le Mans race killed one of the 300 SLR cars, killed French driver Pierre Levegue and 83 spectators.

This tragedy – the deadliest in the history of car racing – forced the company to abandon the sport for many years.

RM Sotheby’s said the proceeds from the auction will go to create a global Mercedes-Benz fund that will fund environmental science and decarbonisation research.