1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR sold for a whopping USD142 million

A new record may have been set for the world's most expensive car. A Mercedes-Benz racecar, the Silver Arrows, has reportedly been sold for an astounding USD142 million, according to unconfirmed media reports.

A secret auction was held by the seller, on behalf of Mercedes-Benz, with ten (or fewer) carefully selected car collectors. Besides making sure they were wealthy enough to pay, he also ensured they met the strict requirements of the German car brands. According to reports, Mercedes-Benz was concerned that the Silver Arrow's custodian lavished it with the same amount of attention as the company while also sharing it for various events.

A private jet was used to fly key collectors to the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, where all potential buyers were invited. The automaker, however, has not confirmed the rumours of a record-breaking sale.

If the reports are to be believed, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR will become the world's most expensive car. With a price of USD142 million, the 300 SLR is nearly double the value of a Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold for USD70 million at a private sale in 2018.

Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 and 1955 world championships in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with a record 9 victories from 12 starts in the car. Sir Stirling Moss drove the "Silver Arrow" to victory in the 1955 world sportscar championship.

Mercedes-Benz built two hardtop 300 SLR coupes called Uhlenhaut Coupes, which were road-legal. The head of the test department, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, drove one of the cars as his company car. The cars were powered by a 3.0-litre straight-eight engine, which was strong enough to churn out 301PS of maximum power. According to reports, the second model was sold at the auction.

In 2013, the last Mercedes-Benz to hold an auction record was a 1954 W196, previously raced to victory by Juan Manuel Fangio and sold at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that year for USD29.57 million.

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