This 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupesold for an astonishing $142m at an auction in Stuttgart. That’s approximately £115million, in good old pounds sterling.
The stunning specimen, named after its then chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, is one of just two prototypes built. Based on Juan Manuel Fangio’s two-time GP World Championship-winning W196 R car, it featured an enlarged 3.0-litre straight-eight engine and was capable of speeds of up to 180mph. Uhlenhaut later commandeered it as his company car.
It ranks as the most expensive car ever to have gone under the hammer (and, indeed, one of the top 10 most expensive items EVER sold at auction), in a roster, um, dominated by Ferrari, but also featuring the likes of Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, McLaren and more.
Excluding private sales, we’ve rounded up the top 20, starting with…
