Many of us spend our mornings daydreaming about what we would park in the driveway if we ever hit the jackpot. Whether it’s a shiny new red convertible or the latest sleek supercar, the fantasy of owning a high-performance vehicle is often top of the list for Brits.

However, even the most ambitious lottery winner would find themselves checking their bank balance twice before eyeing up the world’s record holder. In a market where a few million pounds used to buy you the best of the best, one vehicle became famous for blowing the ceiling off the automotive world, selling for a price that makes typical luxury cars look like a drop in the ocean. The sale, which took place at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, more than doubles the previous record held by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold for £39 million in 2018.

This sale firmly establishes the German marque as the producer of the most valuable automotive asset on the planet – often described by historians as the “Mona Lisa of cars”. 

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is one of only two prototypes ever created. Named after its creator and Mercedes’ chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the car was essentially a road-legal version of the W196 R Grand Prix car – the “Silver Arrow” – which dominated Formula 1, winning back-to-back titles in 1954 and 1955 and driven by Juan Manuel Fangio.

Its statistics are nothing short of remarkable. Equipped with a 3.0-litre straight-eight engine, it produced over 300 horsepower, enabling speeds of up to 180 mph. It also featured advanced technology for its time, including a lightweight magnesium-alloy body (Elektron) and spaceframe chassis.

Until the 2022 sale, both prototypes were held in the Mercedes-Benz corporate collection. The company decided to sell one to establish the “Mercedes-Benz Fund,” a global scholarship program for young people studying environmental science and decarbonisation.

The RM Sotheby’s auction was a quiet affair, with only a handful of the world’s most elite collectors invited to bid. The winning bid was placed by British classic car expert Simon Kidston on behalf of an anonymous client. It sold for an eyewatering €135million – approximately £114-115 million at the time.

The new owner has agreed to make the car accessible for public display on special occasions.

The car’s namesake was no less impressive. It is said Rudolf Uhlenhaut once drove the 137-mile journey between Munich and Stuttgart in just over an hour – a feat virtually impossible now with modern traffic and speed limits.