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Mercedes coupe sells for €135 million at auction

May 20, 2022

A vintage 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe has become the most expensive car in the world. The buyer was a private collector, and a second car like it will remain in the Mercedes corporate car museum.

https://p.dw.com/p/4BbeF
The Mercedes Benz 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe
There are only two 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe in the worldImage: Marcel Kusch/dpa/picture alliance

Mercedes-Benz announced it sold to a private collector one of only two examples of a 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe for €135 million ($143 million) at auction, making it the most expensive car in the world.

The car with its wing-like doors and sleek body is named after engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut. The auction took place May 5 at the Mercedes-Benz car museum in Stuttgart.

A second and the only other 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe will remain at the company's car museum. The museum is home to 1,100 cars dating back to 1886.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the management board at Mercedes-Benz, said the Uhlenhaut coupe cars are "milestones in sports car development and an important historical development."

Money raised from the sale will benefit an international scholarship program set up by the company. The goal of the scholarship will be to promote the development of new decarbonizing technologies and resource conservation.

ar/sms (AP, dpa)