Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé
The legendary Mercedes was sold in 2022 for a whopping 143 million euros.
A car broke all price records at classic car auctions in 2022: The Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé from 1955 secured the title of “Most Expensive Car in the World” with proceeds of 143 million US dollars – around 135 million euros . The 222 kW/302 hp Formula 1 racing car with road approval thus supplanted the Ferrari 250 GTO from 1962 at an auction by RM Sotheby’s in May, which had been auctioned in 2018 for the equivalent of around 46 million euros.
The fascination and the high price of the Mercedes coupé results on the one hand from the combination of sophisticated racing technology and the elegant gullwing body, on the other hand from the sheer rarity. The auctioned model is one of only two specimens. The second vehicle is still in factory ownership. Despite the fact that they were developed for racing, the coupés were never driven in competitions, but served as a company car for the Mercedes engineer at the time, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
The record Mercedes was not an isolated case. In general, a lot of money was invested in classic cars in the year that is now ending: “2022 will probably be the most successful vintage car auction year ever,” says Frank Wilke from the market observer Classic Analytics. This shows the importance of classic automobiles and how strong confidence in the future of this market is.
Ferrari under the hammer
The Italians secured second place in the auction leaderboard with the 410 Sport Spider from 1955.
Elegant Italian
The 1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet fetched $7.6 million.
Legendary tear
The Talbot T150 C-SS Teardrop Coupé (1937) came in fourth at $13.4 million.
A look at the other auction top ten from Classic Analytics shows that collectors continue to generously pull out their checkbooks. Despite the Mercedes record, Ferrari was again the brightest brand there.
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The Italians secured second and third place with the 1955 410 Sport Spider ($22 million) and the 2003 F2003-GA ($14.9 million).
Also in eighth through tenth are three Ferrari models: the 1960 250GT SWB Competizione for $9.1 million, the 1957 500TRC Spider for $7.8 million and the 1954 375 America Vignale Cabriolet for 7.6 million dollars.
According to Classic Analytics, there are four models from the 1920s to 1930s between the Ferrari blocks. The Talbot T150 C-SS Teardrop Coupé (1937) finished fourth at $13.4 million, ahead of the $10.3 million Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, the Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster ($9.9 million) and the Hispano-Suiza H6C Tulipwood Torpedo ($9.2 million).
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