Car

Decoding the 70-year-old Mercedes supercar that costs more than gold

HQ (according to Vietnamnet) • May 31, 2024 16:00

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was once sold for an incredible $144 million. Compared to pure gold of the same weight, this extremely rare car is one and a half times more expensive.

Mer đắt 4.jpeg — *The classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé supercar manufactured in 1955 was auctioned in 2022 with a "huge" price of approximately 144 million USD.*

The Rolls-Royce Droptail holds the record for the most expensive new car on the market, with a list price of $30 million. However, the price of the Droptail is still only about one-fifth that of the classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé.

This 1955 supercar will be auctioned in 2022 for 135 million euros, approximately 144 million USD (more than 3,665 billion VND). Previously, the record for the most expensive car was held by the Ferrari 250 GTC when it was sold for 70 million USD in 2018.

So, what makes a nearly 70-year-old car have such an unbelievable selling price? The car's astonishing price can be "decoded" with the following reasons:

Rare toxicity

Mer đắt 5.jpeg — *The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is a 2-seater with a long, elegant, light and very stylish hood.*

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was produced in 1955, with only two units produced, while the remaining one is still owned by the company and is on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. So there is no need to discuss the rarity of this Mercedes-Benz "super product".

a beautiful car

Mer đắt 2.jpeg — *Only two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés were built, one belonging to the "father" Rudolf Uhlenhaut himself, and the other kept by the company in a museum.*

With its outstanding "Gullwing" opening style, the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was also voted "the most beautiful car in the world" for a long time and was the premise for many other Mercedes-Benz models later. The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has 2 seats with a long, elegant, light and very fashionable hood.

Historical significance

Mer đắt 6.jpeg — *Even the smallest details of the car are meticulously preserved and maintained over the decades.*

As its name suggests, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is the brainchild of legendary engineer and racing driver Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who created the 300 SL and W 196 R “Silver Arrows”. In fact, the car that will be auctioned in 2022 originally belonged to Rudolf Uhlenhaut and his family. This direct historical connection adds to the car’s value.

Operability

Mer đắt 3.jpeg — *The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was the fastest car in the world at the time of its production.*

The supercar is not just a display item, but the performance of the nearly 70-year-old machine is still very impressive. The car has a front-mounted 3.0-liter 8-cylinder engine similar to the Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 racing car, producing 306 horsepower, helping the car reach a maximum speed of 290 km/h.

This figure cannot be compared to today's sports cars, but in its day (1950s), the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé was the fastest street-legal car in the world.

Perfect condition

Mer đắt 1.jpeg — *Every detail on the car is in perfect condition.*

The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has been meticulously preserved and maintained by its owners, leaving it looking as good as new, which further increases its high value.

The car used to belong to a family business and has always been kept in perfect condition. Therefore, despite being nearly 70 years old, most of the details on the car are brand new.

This gull-wing sports car is designed with special materials and weighs only 1,117kg (equivalent to 39,401 ounces). With a value of up to 144 million USD, every ounce of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is worth up to 3,654 USD.

Meanwhile, the world price of pure gold updated on May 29 is approximately 2,340 USD. This means that if calculated by the same weight, this classic supercar is 1.56 times more expensive than gold.

HQ (according to Vietnamnet)