Sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2022 to a private collector for a staggering 135 million Euro – over INR 1400 crores at the current exchange rate – the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé holds the record for being the world’s most expensive car. Owned by Mercedes-Benz since it was made in 1955 to the day it was sold, the selling price of the Uhlenhaut Coupé exceeded the previous record for the world’s most expensive car, a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO that went under the hammer for less than half as much. The Uhlenhaut Coupé is considered to be among the top ten most valuable items sold at an auction ever.
What Makes This Car Special And Valuable
To start with, only two of these were ever made as prototypes by Mercedes-Benz’s racing department. This creation of Chief Engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut carries his name, rendering it immortal. It was often cited as the most beautiful automobile in the world, but it was also an engineering masterpiece.
The Uhlenhaut Coupé itself, however remarkable it was, was actually based on another absolutely legendary Merc – the 300 SLR. The 300 SLR was basically a two-seater version of the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R with which Formula 1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio had won two World Championships.
The official name of the 300 SLR became W 196 S. In this avatar, it featured a 2982cc 8-cylinder engine with around 302hp. An incredible output back in 1955, which helped British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson win the Mille Miglia – a 1,000-mile (1600km) endurance race in Italy, with a record time of 10 hours 7 minutes and 48 seconds.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé that was sold in 2022 was based on this race winning W 196 S. The proceeds had been used to establish a worldwide ‘Mercedes-Benz Fund’ for providing educational research scholarships in environmental science and decarbonization. It was also agreed between the then Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage and the private buyer that the Uhlenhaut Coupé would remain accessible for select public displays.
True to that agreement, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was on display at the incredible Mille Miglia UAE in Dubai, where the race-winning W 196 S piloted by Moss was also on display. The only other Uhlenhaut Coupé remains at the Mercedes-Benz museum.
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