The 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was priced at auction this month for €135 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold.
RM Sotheby’s, the company that auctions off classic cars, announced Thursday that the vehicle has been sold to a private collector. The car found almost three times the buyer of the previous record.
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The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which previously held the record, was sold for $ 48 million in 2018.
The auction, which included only invited participants, was held on May 5 at the MercedesBenz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The car in question also became one of the 10 most valuable pieces sold at any auction.
According to AFP, 300 SLRs are 6th or 7th on this list. Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold for $ 450 million in 2017, holds the first place.
In second place is Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, which sold for $195 million.
Named after its creator Rudolf Unlanhaut, the car is one of two prototypes produced by Mercedes Benz’s racing department.
The auction company said the collector had allowed the car to be shown on special occasions, while the second car would continue to be displayed in the museum.
The 300 SLR was inspired by the W196 R Grand Prix, which won two Formula 1 races in 1954.
Mercedes-Benz Chairman Ola Källenius said the 300 SLR was an important milestone in the development of sports cars.
The proceeds from the auction will be used to create a worldwide Mercedes-Benz Fund that will fund environmental science and decarbonisation research.
