After a few days of rumors, RM/Sotheby's has now confirmed that the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with chassis number 196.110-00008/55 in the form of the Uhlenhaut Coupé has been sold for EUR 135 million.
The 300 SLR was planned as a coupé for use in the Carrera Panamericana, but the accident at Le Mans in 1955 led to Mercedes-Benz withdrawing completely from racing. The two resulting Uhlenhaut coupés, named after the engineer behind them, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, became waste paper, so to speak, and became road cars without racing ambitions.
Chassis 196.110-00008/55
Chassis 196.110-00008/55 is the second and last "Uhlenhaut Coupé". The first work took place in December 1955, six months later an Eberspächer silencer was retrofitted for use on the road. One week later, on June 29, 1956, the car was classified as roadworthy. The car has remained in the possession of Mercedes-Benz to this day. It was initially used for demonstration drives in Europe with dignitaries such as the Duke of Kent and Lord Brabazon, and it is known that the company used the coupé in the USA between 1961 and 1963. Famously, Automobil Revue conducted a 3500 km road test with the car in 1956.
From the mid-1960s, the 300 SLR was exhibited by Mercedes-Benz at numerous events.
From January to July 1986, the car was sent for restoration to Tony Merrick, one of the most important restorers of historic vehicles and race preparation specialists of his time.
After restoration, the car took part in the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in August 1986, before being featured in an article in Road & Track magazine and later at the Geneva International Motor Show in 1988. This was followed by extensive exhibitions at a number of major museums and occasional appearances at high-profile motorsport and Concours d'Elegance events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 1999 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2001, as well as an appearance in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren brochure when it was launched in 2003.
Chassis 196.110-00008/55 can look back on a long list of appearances at many official Mercedes-Benz events, which have always been celebrated by the manufacturer as a significant milestone in its history and have been the focus of the brand's global marketing campaigns.
Mercedes-Benz announced the following via Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG:
"The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés are milestones in sports car development and important historical cornerstones of our brand. The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars has been carefully considered in favor of a good cause. Achieving the highest price ever paid for a vehicle is both an honor and a mission: a Mercedes-Benz is by far the most valuable car in the world. The proceeds from the auction will be used to finance a worldwide scholarship program. With the "Mercedes-Benz Fund", we want to encourage a new generation to follow in the innovative footsteps of Rudolf Uhlenhaut and develop great new technologies, especially for decarbonization and resource conservation."
With the sale, one of these two special cars was apparently no longer seen as essential to the Mercedes-Benz collection. Another Uhlenhaut coupé is still owned by the Stuttgart-based company. Chassis 55 has now found a new owner for EUR 135 million (CHF 138.6 million) as the most expensive car in the world. However, this price does not quite match the valuation of Andy Warhol's artwork "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn", which was also recently auctioned and found a new owner for USD 195 million. I wonder what would happen if the unique BMW M1 painted by Warhol were ever put up for sale?
