€135m Mercedes is world’s most expensive car

Rewriting history

One of the two mythical Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés has been sold for an incredible €135,000,000 (c£114m/$142m) and has become the world’s most valuable car.

What’s more, its price exceeds the previous record by a colossal margin – in 2018, a 1962 Ferrari 250GTO was sold privately for $78m.
 

Secret sale

This is the first time this car has ever been sold.

The special, world-record-breaking sale by RM Sotheby’s was a secret, invitation-only event hosted by Mercedes-Benz in its museum, held on 5 May 2022, with each bidder hand-selected by the manufacturer.

The car that would never be sold

The winning bidder was British aficionado Simon Kidston, on behalf of a client, who’s been lobbying the board to sell the car for a year and a half – it was the car ‘that would never be sold’.

Plus, the entire sale price of this fantastic road-racing classic will go straight into a charitable fund established by the manufacturer that will provide scholarships for young people researching decarbonisation and environmental science.

Let’s remind ourselves what an amazing car this is.

One of just two

There are just two 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Coupés and both, until now, have been owned since new by their maker.

These two are the sister cars to the world-famous W196S 300SLR ‘722’ in which, on 30 April-1 May 1955, Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the Mille Miglia, often considered one of the greatest-ever achievements in motor racing.

Already in the history books

The W196S holds a unique record: it won every single race the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR entered and finished. Unsurprisingly, it claimed the 1955 World Sportscar Championship for the three-pointed star.

And, of course, it is related to the W196R, Mercedes’ highly successful Grand Prix racer. Meaning this auction star has a serious competition pedigree, of the highest order.

The man behind the name

Rudolf Uhlenhaut (1906-1989) was an engineer and headed Daimler-Benz’s motorsport division.

It was he who commissioned two closed versions of the successful racer for endurance competition – which is why they now carry his name.

And while this car might look quite similar to the roadgoing 300SL Gullwing, it was never intended for sale and is an out-and-out racer.

High-speed express

Neither of the two so-called Uhlenhaut coupés were campaigned, but they were used in practice.

Plus their namesake was an extremely talented driver, and he would get behind the wheel and use them to get to European races in serious style.

Fearsome figures

In 1956, a road test conducted by our sister magazine Autocar and Swiss title Automobil Revue recorded 0-60mph in 6.9 sec, 0-120mph in 20.3 sec and a maximum speed 176.47mph.

Remember, this was 66 years ago – and the car under scrutiny had been fitted with power-sapping silencers.
 

Unmatched

Writing for Autocar in January 1957, Gordon Wilkins describes the out-of-the-world capabilities of the SLR Coupé.
 
“Remember that this car is not for sale, and in this form never will be: it is a racing car adapted for road use with certain experimental objectives in view… It has to be mastered like a mettlesome horse.”
 
“To have driven it has eclipsed all previous experiences in 20 years of test driving on the world’s finest cars, and I do not expect to find its match for a long time to come.”

The power to perform

The 300SLR Coupé is powered by a 3.0-litre, straight-eight, double-overhead camshaft engine weighing 234kg, with up to 306bhp and 229lb ft torque, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Its tubular spaceframe construction helped keep it light and strong.

The latest technology

This three-pointed star has worm-and-sector steering, double-wishbone front and swing-axle rear suspension.

Stopping power comes courtesy of inboard drum brakes front and rear.

Red is the colour

Standing just 1210mm high, this sleek, two-seat coupé looks like nothing else. And it weighs a mere 1117kg.

The only thing that differentiates the two cars is the colour of their upholstery. This car’s is red and it has covered just 6045km (3756 miles) – the other has a blue-trimmed cabin.

Deal done

No wonder Simon Kidston (pictured) was so thrilled when he secured this historic Mercedes.

“If you had asked classic car experts and top collectors over the past half a century to name the most desirable car in the world, there’s a good chance that they would have come up with the same model: the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR.

“It’s a combination of exotic engineering, all-conquering racing history, the power of the three-pointed star on its nose and the fact that one had never, ever been sold. Many collectors had tried, all had failed.”

Worth the wait

He continued: “That was what the entire motoring world thought, but times change, and if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. A long-standing relationship with the Mercedes-Benz Museum helped, but even after 18 months of patient lobbying, we didn’t know if or how they would consider letting the 300SLR out of captivity until just before it happened.

“For everyone involved, and especially the new owner whom we represented, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy the Mona Lisa of cars.”
 

Coming home

Kidston has a long history with Mercedes. He is the nephew of Bentley Boy Commander Glen Kidston and son of Commander Home Kidston, and Simon’s father collected a 300SL Gullwing new from the factory.

Later, Simon tracked down and bought his father’s SL – and this month he drove the car to Stuttgart for this record-making sale.

Still on show

The good news for classic car enthusiasts the world over is that this Uhlenhaut coupé is not going to disappear behind closed doors.

“The private buyer has agreed that the 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé will remain accessible for public display on special occasions,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage.

Pay it a visit

And, of course, the sole remaining original 300SLR Coupé is still owned by Mercedes-Benz, meaning visitors can see it at the spectacular Stuttgart factory.

It is well worth checking out.

Never before

 “Words can’t really do justice to the importance and significance of this sale,” said Peter Wallman, Chairman, UK & EMEA, speaking for RM Sotheby’s.

“It’s reasonable to say that nobody ever imagined that this car would ever be offered for sale, so for Mercedes-Benz to ask RM Sotheby’s to conduct the auction was an absolute honour.”

A slice of history

This eye-watering sum hasn’t just smashed automotive records – it has transcended that.

This Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is now in the top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction.

Setting a new high

Quite a car, an incredible story and a reminder that if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

History was made on 5 May 2022 with this one-of-two Mercedes – a record that will take some beating.