A new record value for cars - 135 million euros. It was installed by a sporty 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.
The rarity was sold at a closed auction by RM Sotheby’s on May 5, but the results of the auction were announced only on May 20. The buyer was not disclosed, it is known that this is a private collector who promised to occasionally take the car to public events.
Previously, the coupe belonged to the company Mercedes-Benz itself, it will direct the proceeds of $ 143 million to charity - support for schoolchildren and students involved in environmental research.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR was built in only two copies, the car was created under the guidance of the famous Rudolf Uhlenhout, head of the Daimler-Benz racing direction in the 50s and 60s, hence the model got the nickname Uhlenhaut Coupe.
The 300 SLR with gullwing doors is similar to the limited edition 1954 300 SL, but does not actually share panels with it. The SLR is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 petrol with 302 hp. and a 5-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive. The car could accelerate to 290 km / h and was the fastest for its time (of those that were allowed on public roads). Initially, the SLR 300 was built for endurance racing, but in 1955, the year the car appeared, Daimler-Benz stopped participating in them, so Uhlenhout himself used one of the built samples for commuting.
The Mercedes-Benz Corporate Museum continues to hold only one copy of the SLR.
Recall that the previous record for the cost of cars was set in 2018, when the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO supercar was sold at auction for $ 70 million.
67-year-old Mercedes-Benz SLR breaks car auction record
