Rare Mercedes-Benz car sold at auction for a whopping $143 million

RM Sotheby's on Thursday (May 19) announced that an extremely rare Mercedes-Benz car was sold for a whopping $143 million earlier this month during an auction. It has now become the world's most expensive car ever sold.

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz is one of two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes ever made.

As per Sotheby's, the auction was held earlier this month on May 5 at Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany and only those who were invited could attend it.

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In a statement, the car auction company said: "A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe from 1955 has been sold at auction for a record price of €135,000,000 to a private collector."

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The statement further read: "The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart."

Notably, the proceeds from the auction will be used for a scholarship fund. It will be used to establish a worldwide Mercedes-Benz Fund that will fund environmental science and decarbonisation research.

The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe was the fastest road car at the time with a top speed of 180mph.

It was named is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.

Previously, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO fetched over 48 million dollars in 2018.

(With inputs from agencies)

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