This classic Mercedes currently holds the record for the most expensive car ever sold. Does it surpass the $1 billion mark?
It’s no secret that classic collector cars are worth a ton of money. Some far more than others, certainly, but the cream of the crop often pull numbers well north of a million dollars. That begs the question; has the most expensive car sold surpassed the billion-dollar mark?
What Is The Most Expensive Car Ever Sold?
According to Robb Report, the most expensive car ever sold at the time is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupe.” It’s a one-of-two purpose-built racecar. Mercedes intended to compete in the 1955 Carrera Panamericana with the vehicle, but the race was called off.
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe pulled an absolutely astonishing $142 million at auction. Yes, you read that right. $142 million. It took the record from a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold at RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, California, in 2018. Unbelievably, the Mercedes beat the Ferrari’s $48,405,000 price tag by nearly $100 million.
The sale did come from a good place, though. The proceeds of the sale went to the Mercedes-Benz Fund. It’s a scholarship program Mercedes developed to air young people working to make the world more sustainable. Selling off the past to build a better future seems like a great cause in our eyes! Likely, then, this car will hold the record for quite some time.
No, there is no single car worth $1 Billion at this time
So, at this time, there is not currently a single vehicle worth $1 billion. There is, however, a car collection worth north of $1 billion. It belongs to the Sultan of Brunei and consists of Ferraris purchased by the handful that never even touched the road. They sit alongside a myriad of custom one-off builds from Ferrari, Pininfarina, Bentley, and more.
Only time will tell if world inflation and the increasing rarity of these cars will ever drive one to surpass the billion-dollar mark. All we can effectively promise is that nobody here at MotorBiscuit is likely to make that billion-dollar bid does ever come. We’ll definitely be watching, though!