The rumoured $142 million 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe has allegedly been sold by Mercedes Benz to a private collector.
The interesting fact is that even though the two Uhlenhaut Coupes were built out of the regular SLR chassis for the 1956 sports car racing season, they never saw action. This is no thanks to Mercedes pulling out from motorsports after the tragic 1955 Le Mans incident.
Pics by James Lipman.
The Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is powered by a direct fuel-injection 3.0L straight-eight, derived from the W196R Formula 1 car. Putting out more than 300hp mated to a 5-speed transaxle, pushed the car to a 180mph top speed. After the cancellation of the racing program, the head of the test department, Rudolf Uhlenhaut appropriated one of the two cars as his company car after fitting a huge muffler.
Moreover, legend has it that back in the day running late for a meeting, Mr. Uhlenhaut allegedly took on the autobahn in his coupe. Driving from Munich to Stuttgart in just over an hour, covering a distance of 137 miles.
