Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe Is Now The Most Expensive Car In The World

A Mercedes-Benz now holds the record as the most expensive car in the world. In a recently held private auction the German carmaker put up one of its two 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe's on the block with the car fetching a record 135 million euros (About $143 million). The coupe prototype is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut. The previous record for the most expensive car sold was held by the iconic 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO which sold at auction for $ 48.4 million in 2018.

“The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés are milestones in sports car development and key historical elements that have shaped our brand. The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars was taken with very sound reasoning – to benefit a good cause. The proceeds from the auction will fund a global scholarship programme,” said Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius.

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The auction took place on May 5 with the vehicle itself part of the company's own collection at Mercedes-Benz Classic. The model put up for auction was the non-public display unit housed with the company. The auction was held in cooperation with RM Southeby's with a select group of Mercedes-Benz customers and car collectors invited to the event.

Mercedes has said that the proceeds from the auction have gone towards its “Mercedes-Benz Fund” global scholarship programme. The fund will provide scholarships to students at the University and School levels and encourage students to research environmental science projects. The company says that the scholarships are aimed at students who do not have the financial means for their projects and career paths.

The gullwing doors were an iconic design element of the 300 SL and 300 SLR Coupes.

“The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupé remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes Benz Heritage.

The Uhlenhaut coupe was originally developed to go racing for the 1956 season though it was never used as Mercedes-Benz pulled out of racing at the end of the 1955 season. The 300 SLR featured a 3.0-litre 8-cylinder engine producing 298 bhp capable of propelling the car to speeds of up to 290 kmph. Mercedes only ever produced two race cars from this series with the second on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

The 1955 300 SLR earned the Uhlenhaut Coupe nickname as following the cancellation of the race program, Rudolf Uhlenhaut used one of the models as his company car.

The styling and racing pedigree aside the 300 SL and SLR coupe's are also renowned for their distinctive gullwing doors – a feature that Mercedes would later use in the SLS AMG. However, for these iconic coupe's the doors were necessitated owing to their tubular frame chassis and low mounted bodyshells with the chassis frames taking up a large portion of the space needed by the doors – a design that was changed in the roadster.