A vintage 1955 Mercedes-Benz has been sold for $143 million (about Rs 1,100 crore), making it the most expensive car ever sold at an auction.
Canada-based RM Sotheby's announced that it has auctioned off a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, earlier this month, for 135 million euros, or about $143 million, reports CNBC. The sale smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at auction by more than $95 million and topped the $70 million record for a car sold privately.
The winning bid was made by British car collector, advisor and dealer Simon Kidston on behalf of an unnamed client. Kidston lobbied the Mercedes-Benz board for 18 months to consider selling the car, the report said.
The sale, first reported by Hagerty Insider, took place May 5 in a secretive and highly unusual auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Only selected collectors and Mercedes-Benz customers were invited to attend.
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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 Mercedes-Benz company owned both of the 300 SLR cars, and the May 5 sale took many collectors by surprise.
