Most expensive car in the world: Mercedes is said to have been sold at a secret auction

Created: 05/15/2022, 07:39

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

The Mercedes 300 SLR Coupé was only built twice - at a secret auction it is said to have been sold for around 135 million euros.

Stuttgart – There are cars that are priced out of reach for average earners.

For example, new cars from the luxury manufacturers Bugatti, Pagani or Lamborghini can sometimes cost several million euros.

Sometimes, however, it is above all the history of the car that causes the price to skyrocket at auction - such as with this Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 from the cult film "Bad Boys".

Prominent previous owners can also multiply sales prices, such as a sports car owned by soccer legend Diego Maradona (60, † 2020).

The previous price record holder is a rare classic car: in 2018, a Ferrari 250 GTO was auctioned for around 48.5 million euros.

But now an extremely rare Mercedes is said to have been sold for 135 million euros.

A Mercedes 300 SLR Coupé – also known as the “Uhlenhaut Coupé” – was allegedly auctioned off for 135 million euros.

© Mercedes-Benz Group

Most expensive car in the world: Mercedes is said to have been sold at a secret auction

According to a report by the industry portal "Hagerty", the vehicle sold is a Mercedes 300 SLR Coupé - also known as the "Uhlenhaut Coupé".

The sale allegedly took place on May 6th at a secret auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

The approximately ten interested parties are said to have flown in with private jets.

The portal refers to several sources in its report – but emphasizes that these are “rumours”.

When asked by the portal, the carmaker did not want to comment on the rumors.

Incidentally, not only cars fetch extreme prices at auctions – a license plate was recently auctioned in Dubai for 8.9 million euros.

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Most expensive car in the world: only two examples of the "Uhlenhaut Coupé" were built

The so-called "Uhlenhaut Coupé" was designed in 1955 by Rudolf Uhlenhaut (82, † 1989) based on the Mercedes 300 SLR.

The gullwing doors of the Mercedes-Benz W 198 presented a year earlier are used in the vehicle.

The plan was to use the coupé in long-distance races, but this did not happen because the company withdrew from racing in 1955.

Most expensive car in the world: The Mecedes 300 SLR Coupé was once the fastest road-legal vehicle

Only two "Uhlenhaut coupés" were built - they differ only in details.

For example in the color of the interior and details on the radiator grille.

With an engine output of 222 kW (302 hp), the Mercedes 300 SLR Coupé reached a top speed of 290 km/h - this made the "Uhlenhaut Coupé" the fastest road-legal vehicle at the time.

According to Hagerty, the buyer may be a “well-known personality from the British automotive industry”.