RM Sotheby’s in association with Mercedes-Benz has sold one of the two famed 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés to a private collector for £114m.
The funds raised will be used to establish a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund” that will provide educational and research scholarships in the areas of environmental science and decarbonisation for young people.
The car is one of two 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupés ever built, both retained from new by Mercedes.
IT is a sister car to Stirling Moss’s Mille Miglia-record-breaking, open-cockpit 300 SLR, which covered 992 miles in 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds on public roads.
Both 300 SLR Coupés had remained at Mercedes-Benz factory since new, the other one on Museum display, and the car sold kept mostly in storage with 6,045km covered in its entire lifetime.
Mercedes-Benz hosted secret invitation-only auction in Museum on 5 May 2022 with strict requirements for bidders, each hand-picked by Mercedes.
“We are proud that we can contribute with our historical collection to this initiative connecting the past with the future of engineering and decarbonisation technology”, said Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage.
“The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupé remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.”