[imagesource: RM Sotheby’s]

RM Sotheby’s has had the privilege of auctioning off two of the world’s most expensive cars in the past couple of years.

Bear with me, I’m about to throw a lot of figures at you.

In 2018, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was auctioned off for $48,5 million (that’s around R775 million).

But now, at the eye-watering cost of $143 million (over R2,2 billion), RM Sotheby’s has sold the most expensive car ever auctioned.

It’s the ultra-rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.

CNBC reported that it even topped the $70 million record for a car sold privately – the 1963 Ferrari GTO sold in 2018.

British car collector, advisor, and dealer Simon Kidston spent 18 months trying to persuade the Mercedes-Benz board to sell the rare gem.

Then, he took the winning bid home for an anonymous client:

The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is one of only two created in 1955 and is regarded as one of the most prized cars in auto history. It was built by Mercedes’ race department and named after its chief engineer and designer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.

Image: RM Sotheby’s

The car was based on the company’s successful W 196 R Grand Prix car, which won two World Championships with driver Juan Manuel Fangio. The 300 SLR had a larger, 3.0-liter engine and was able to reach 180 mph, making it one of the fastest road-legal cars at the time.

The money that Mercedes-Benz made from the sale will be donated to scholarships and educational research into the environment and decarbonisation.

That’s really nice.

[source:cnbc]