H/T to Brad for passing this alomg.
143 Million for a car is insanity in my opinion.
A 1955 Mercedes just nabbed $143 million at auction, making it the most expensive car ever sold
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut CoupeCourtesy: RM Sotheby’s
I got to see a vintage Gull Wing from that era up close and personal once way back in the early 80’s.
Some guy drove one to the little restoration shop I was working at under the table to show the owner.
Absolutely gorgeous car.
Inside and out.
This rig that sold is guaranteed to be pristine, as in Like New condition.
Must be nice.
That’s enough money to run a small town for an entire year.
PUBLISHED THU, MAY 19 20224:03 PM EDTUPDATED THU, MAY 19 20224:44 PM EDT
Robert Frank@ROBTFRANK
KEY POINTS
- An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz race car sold for $143 million earlier this month, making it the most expensive car ever sold.
- The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at auction by more than $95 million.
- The sale took place May 5 in a secretive and highly unusual auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz race car sold for $143 million earlier this month, making it the most expensive car ever sold.
RM Sotheby’s announced it auctioned off a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe for 135 million euros, or about $143 million. The sale smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at auction by more than $95 million and topped the $70 million record for a car sold privately.
The winning bid was made by British car collector, advisor and dealer Simon Kidston on behalf of an unnamed client. Kidston lobbied the Mercedes-Benz board for 18 months to consider selling the car.
The sale, first reported by Hagerty Insider, took place May 5 in a secretive and highly unusual auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Only selected collectors and Mercedes-Benz customers were invited to attend.
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is one of only two created in 1955 and is regarded as one of the most prized cars in auto history. It was built by Mercedes’ race department and named after its chief engineer and designer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
That’s nothing, I filled up my tank for $25.00. Granted it was my lawnmower but I’m trying to stay positive
I’d rather have an XKE or a Miura. Much less $ too.
A fool and his money…
Odds are there’s never been gas in the tank, there’s no oil in the engine, and the battery has no acid in it. That’s not a car, it a museum piece. Modern art. At that price, it’ll sit on display or be hidden behind locked doors in A/C controlled environment. No one is going risk that amount of investment by even sitting in the seat, much less cranking the starter and, god forbid, driving it around the neighborhood. The only way that car gets moved is by a team of guys wearing white cotton gloves gently pushing it from storage to display and back.
Only two ever made. Two.
Like Don Curton said, that puppy will NEVER be driven. Which is a shame, yet it’s not… go figure THAT one out…
Built by people who lost two wars in a row.
I think what happened at LeMans in 1955 has something to with it as well. Mercedes stopped racing for how long? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMoh5hZAaZk
Was there a determination of what caused the crash? The video didn’t say.