See the $142 million Mercedes that just became the most expensive car ever sold
Tim Levin
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe.Kidston Motor Cars
- An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz just sold for $142 million at an invite-only auction.
- The 1955 race car is by far the most expensive car ever auctioned off.
An extremely rare, 67-year-old Mercedes-Benz just sold for a whopping $143 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
The1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is a prototype race car built for the 1956 season.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
It obliterated the previous record for the priciest car ever auctioned off by around $95 million.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
The previous record holder was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for around $48 million in 2018, according to auction house RM Sotheby's, which was involved in both sales.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
The coupe also ranks in the top 10 most expensive items ever sold at auction, RM Sotheby's said.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
Mercedes-Benz sold the 300 SLR during an invite-only auction on May 5 at its museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
It sold to classic-car dealer Simon Kidston, who placed the winning bid on behalf of an anonymous buyer.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
In part, the 300 SLR is so valuable because Mercedes built just two of them.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
To be fair, it's also gorgeous.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
The coupe was never raced, and instead was used by Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the head of Mercedes's testing department, as a company car.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
The eight-cylinder race car was rated at roughly 300 horsepower.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
It had a top speed of 180 mph, making it one of the fastest road-legal vehicles of its time, according to RM Sotheby's.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
The 300 SLR Coupe was developed as a hardtop version of Mercedes's successful open-top 300 SLR race car.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
Both SLR Coupes have been in Mercedes-Benz's private collection since new.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
The one sold — nicknamed "Red" for its red interior — only shows a little over 6,000 kilometers on the odometer.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
Its sibling, "Blue," will remain on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
The 300 SLR isn't to be confused with the Mercedes 300 SL, another highly collectible 1950s Mercedes that's only worth a measly $1 million.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
Why would Mercedes-Benz part with such a valuable car and such an iconic piece of its history?
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
It was sold for a good cause.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. Kidston Motor Cars
Mercedes says it will use the proceeds from the sale to set up a scholarship fund to support education and research into environmental science and decarbonization.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe. RM Sotheby's
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