Decade-long rivals both on track and on global showroom floors, in May 2022 Mercedes-Benz claimed significant bragging rights over Ferrari when it trumped the Italian brand’s previous claim to the most expensive vehicle sold at auction.
In 1955, then head of Mercedes-Benz passenger car development, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, took it upon himself to build on the success of brand’s “silver arrow” Formula One racing exploits by engineering a road-going, coupé-styled racing car that he envisaged would dominate the likes of the Mille Miglia and Carrera Panamericana endurance races.
Though the only two “Uhlenhaut” cars ever produced closely resemble the famous 300 SLR in terms of their profile and distinct “Gullwing” door application, “The Red” and “The Blue” as they were nicknamed after the colour of their respective interior finishes were, in fact, a lot more purposeful looking when it came to their on-road stance and bespoke body work.
Powered by a 222 kW, naturally-aspirated straight-8 motor and mated with a five-speed manual transmission, it’s claimed that these 998 kg cars were capable of an astonishing-for-the-time top speed of 290 km/h – something Uhlenhaut is rumoured to have personally tested while assuming one of the cars as his company transport.
Dubbed “the fastest race car that never raced,” both cars were consigned to the brand’s museum when Mercedes-Benz withdrew from racing following a tragic accident at the 1955 24-hours of Le Mans.
With the aim of raising (significant) funds for its beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, at a private event at its Stuttgart Museum in May 2022, RM Sotheby’s oversaw an auction that saw one of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé cars sold for a staggering $142 million (more than 2 billion South African rands). This figure trumps the previous record for the most paid for a vehicle at auction – a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – by more than $95 million.
A motoring journalist with more than 20 years’ experience, Ian McLaren will be compiling a series are articles documenting his learning curve when it comes to all things auction. Find him on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at @IanMcLaren76.
These articles aim to offer insights only and in no way encourage reckless or hit-and-miss purchasing decisions.