An unnamed buyer paid over 3.3 billion crowns for one of the two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupes. So, allegedly, nothing was confirmed officially.
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After a tragic accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, Mercedes-Benz decided to leave the world of motorsport, to which it did not return until 1989. As a result, the development of racing cars for the 1956 season, in which the manufacturer wanted to deploy, was stopped. a car now called the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut. However, two pieces have survived at the time, and one of them is said to have been used by Rudolf Uhlenhaut, then director of Mercedes’ test department, as a company car. That is why the nickname Uhlenhaut is used in the car’s name.
The closed variant of the Mercedes 300 SLR used an eight-cylinder Formula 1 W196 monopost to power it, the volume of which was increased from 2.5 to 3.0 liters. Power has grown from the original 192 kW (261 hp) to 222 kW (302 hp). At the time, the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe was probably the fastest road car in the world, as it was able to start up to 290 km / h. Mercedes-Benz believes that the two existing coupes are also the most valuable cars in the world, so it keeps them in its possession and never intends to sell them. Or at least he didn’t mean to.
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Hagerty UK has now announced that several sources have confirmed information about the transfer of one of the two existing coupes into private hands. Around May 6 this year, a carefully selected group of car collectors was reportedly invited to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, with one of them leaving as the new owner of a rare car. It is said that potential buyers were selected not only according to whether they have enough money at all, but also whether they can provide proper care and do not immediately offer it for sale again with the prospect of profit.
It is not clear whether it was a purchase at a predetermined price or whether an auction took place, but there is talk of 135 million euros, ie over 3.3 billion crowns! However, Mercedes-Benz itself has not confirmed anything and given the purchase price, it is unlikely that we will learn anything about the sale in an official way. The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe currently holds the theoretical title of the most expensive car in the world. Officially, it still remains the Ferrari 250 GTO, which in 2018 sold for 70 million dollars (over 1.6 billion crowns).
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