In 2022 the world-record price for an automobile at auction was taken to an astonishing new level with the sale of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé.
This remarkable and historic car was offered directly from the ownership of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and achieved an unprecedented €135m (R2.43bn). The arrow-shaped silver coupe, one of only two produced, was never privately owned until the sale.
The sale by the car company crushed the previous public record of $48.4m (roughly R766m) paid in 2018 for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at an RM Sotheby’s auction.
This figure has completely redrawn the rule book for the car market, and for the first time an automobile now features in the list of the top ten most valuable items ever sold at auction, placing this car on par with some of the world’s most revered artworks.
RM Sotheby’s has achieved global sales in excess of $925m (R15.7bn) during 2022, a record figure in a year that has seen the company achieve some of the most spectacular results in its history.
The ten most expensive cars at RM Sotheby’s auctions in 2022 all sold for over R120m.
RM Sotheby's top 10 live auction results for the year
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé – €135,000,000 (R2.43bn)
1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti — $22,005,000 (R374m) at Monterey 2022
2003 Ferrari F2003-GA — $14,873,327 (R253m) at Sotheby’s Luxury Week | Geneva
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen — $9,905,000 (R168m) at Monterey 2022
1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo by Nieuport-Astra — $9,245,000 (R157m) at Monterey 2022
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider by Scaglietti $7,815,000 (R133m) at Monterey 2022
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C by Scaglietti — $7,595,000 (R129m) at Monterey 2022
1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet — $7,595,000 (R129m) at Monterey 2022
1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Scaglietti — $7,485,000 (R127m) at Monterey 2022
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi — $7,265,000 (R123m) at Monterey 2022
These were the ten most expensive cars auctioned in 2022
Record-breaking R2.4bn Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupé caps a stellar year for RM Sotheby's
Image: Supplied
In 2022 the world-record price for an automobile at auction was taken to an astonishing new level with the sale of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé.
This remarkable and historic car was offered directly from the ownership of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and achieved an unprecedented €135m (R2.43bn). The arrow-shaped silver coupe, one of only two produced, was never privately owned until the sale.
The sale by the car company crushed the previous public record of $48.4m (roughly R766m) paid in 2018 for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at an RM Sotheby’s auction.
This figure has completely redrawn the rule book for the car market, and for the first time an automobile now features in the list of the top ten most valuable items ever sold at auction, placing this car on par with some of the world’s most revered artworks.
RM Sotheby’s has achieved global sales in excess of $925m (R15.7bn) during 2022, a record figure in a year that has seen the company achieve some of the most spectacular results in its history.
The ten most expensive cars at RM Sotheby’s auctions in 2022 all sold for over R120m.
RM Sotheby's top 10 live auction results for the year
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé – €135,000,000 (R2.43bn)
1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti — $22,005,000 (R374m) at Monterey 2022
2003 Ferrari F2003-GA — $14,873,327 (R253m) at Sotheby’s Luxury Week | Geneva
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen — $9,905,000 (R168m) at Monterey 2022
1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo by Nieuport-Astra — $9,245,000 (R157m) at Monterey 2022
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider by Scaglietti $7,815,000 (R133m) at Monterey 2022
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C by Scaglietti — $7,595,000 (R129m) at Monterey 2022
1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Cabriolet — $7,595,000 (R129m) at Monterey 2022
1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider by Scaglietti — $7,485,000 (R127m) at Monterey 2022
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi — $7,265,000 (R123m) at Monterey 2022
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