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Most expensive car in the world: Mercedes sells legendary Uhlenhaut coupe for 135 million euros

2022-05-19T18:39:32.608Z


One of the most famous Mercedes models changes hands for a record amount. The group does not really need the proceeds – but the campaign follows a clear strategy.


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Uhlenhaut coupé at the Techno Classica for vintage and youngtimers in Essen (2017): The car has now changed hands for a record price of 135 million euros

Photo: Marcel Kusch / dpa

The rumors have been electrifying the collector scene for a few days, but now it's official: Mercedes has auctioned off a very special gullwing, setting a record: 135 million euros make the so-called Uhlenhaut Coupé 300 SLR from 1955 officially by far the most expensive car of the world.

At the beginning of May, the Swabians invited a handpicked group of regular customers, classic car fans, automobile and art collectors to the closed museum in Stuttgart and auctioned off a Silver Arrow there together with RM Sotheby's, which has a significant share in the myth of the brand.

There are only two examples of this road-legal Formula 1 racing car: powered by a 302 hp eight-cylinder with a displacement of three liters (good for a maximum speed of 290 km/h), they were built for the 1956 racing season.

However, because Mercedes withdrew from motorsport in 1955, the two sleek two-seaters were never used and were therefore used by test manager Rudolf Uhlenhaut as a company car.

The double was then transferred to the company's own collection, which includes more than 1100 vintage cars.

Both cars remained in factory ownership until the very end.

The only difference between them is the color of the interior – one car is lined in blue, the other in red.

In addition to the almost insane price, the collectors' scene is primarily concerned with the question of why Mercedes is even selling such an important piece of its own history - especially since the group is making huge profits.

He wants to do good with the money, says CEO Ola Källenius: “A worldwide scholarship program will be financed with the proceeds from the auction.

With the 'Mercedes-Benz Fund' we would like to encourage a new generation to follow in the innovative footsteps of Rudolf Uhlenhaut and to develop great new technologies, especially for decarbonization and resource conservation," says Kallänius.

Mercedes is increasingly working on the luxury image

Another unofficial justification comes from industry insiders who don't want their names mentioned.

For them, the sale fits into the strategy of absolute luxury orientation, which has just been sharpened again.

Mercedes wants to offer less solutions for mundane transport tasks, but rather high-margin lifestyle and luxury.

This is what the company is aligning the model program with: Three quarters of all investments will go into the upper class in the future, the program below will be radically thinned out - that's what Källenius announced a few hours before the record auction was confirmed.

About half of the compact class family will be deleted.

Ferrari have overtaken the Swabians

"So it fits perfectly when you can be celebrated as the manufacturer of the most expensive car of all time," says the insider.

And you don't even have to read between the lines to find this assumption confirmed: "Receiving the highest price that has ever been paid for a vehicle is both an honor and a commission," Källenius flatters himself and his own brand.

This is also important because to date around two thirds of the most valuable cars in the world have come from Ferrari – including the previous leader.

So far, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO has been considered a value champion after it changed hands for $48.4 million at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2018.

The most expensive Mercedes to date, on the other hand – also a 300SL that Juan Manuel Fangio drove in the 1954 Formula 1 season – brought it to 29.6 million euros.

However, the prices paid in the scene are far from known.

Many cars are sold behind closed doors and without an auction.

Industry experts and value analysts have registered a general increase in prices in recent years - also because the rich like to invest in real assets in times of crisis.

But no one had expected three-digit auction proceeds for a car so quickly.

At the same time, collectors sometimes spend significantly more on art: in 2017, for example, when the painting »Salvator Mundi«, allegedly painted by Leonardo da Vinci, was auctioned in New York and has since been considered the most expensive painting in the world at a price of 450 million dollars.

As with the most spectacular art deal to date, nothing will be officially revealed about the winner of the auction.

Various media want to have exposed the person as British.

In any case, Mercedes has agreed with the future owner that the Uhlenhaut will not disappear into obscurity, but will also be made accessible to the public on special occasions.

It's easier for anyone who wants to see the twin model: it can be viewed six days a week in room Legend 4 of the Mercedes Museum.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2022-05-19

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