Made back in 1955, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe of which only two models were made was recently auctioned for a record 135 million EUR (~$143 million). The rarest of the rare coupe which was stationed at Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection and named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut was auctioned off in a private event. The Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection hosts no less than 1100 automobiles with the oldest model on display dating back to as early as 1886. The private auction was taken care of by RM Sotheby’s and took place in Stuttgart, Germany at the Mercedes-Benz museum on May 5, 2022.
“The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes are milestones in sports car development and key historical elements that have shaped our brand. The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars was taken with very sound reasoning – to benefit a good cause. The proceeds from the auction will fund a global scholarship program. With the “Mercedes-Benz Fund” we would like to encourage a new generation to follow in Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s innovative footsteps and develop amazing new technologies, particularly those that support the critical goal of decarbonization and resource preservation,” says Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
The proceeds from the auction will go towards the ‘Mercedes-Benz Fund’ a worldwide charitable organization. The charitable organization will help and assists young people in the form of education and research scholarships in the areas of environmental science and decarbonization. The seed capital from the auction will be divided into two chunks and out of them, the first one will be allocated to University Scholarships while the second one will go towards School Scholarships.
Thus both the scholarships will target those individuals which due to financial constraints are not able to pursue their projects and career paths. For the assistance, the individual’s project and career path should be in areas that will help improve the environment and help in reversing the climate change effects. Coming to the coupe in question, the 300 SLR being so rare had a lot of mystique surrounding it. It came with a very radical design and also the famous gullwing doors.
Benefitting from Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport experience and technology the 300 SLR was a technological marvel. It weighed just 2,200 pounds (998 kg) and was powered by a 222 kW (302 PS) 3.0-liter straight-eight engine. The straight-eight engine was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Courtesy of that it could hit a top speed of 300 km/hr (~186 MPH). To give a better idea of how fast it was the chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut was able to cover the Nürburgring in 1955 three seconds quicker than legendary Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
The above feat was achieved by Uhlenhaut when Juan Manuel Fangio complained about his car not being correctly set for him while both were sitting together for a casual lunch. That said because this particular model has a special place in the hearts of Mercedes-Benz and automotive enthusiasts alike, the one who bought the above coupe has assured that it will be available for public viewing on special occasions. While the second coupe will be available on display in the museum as usual.
