The world’s most expensive car was seen driving around Monaco recently. The Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, also known as the Uhlenhaut coupe, is one of just two ever produced, with one selling for $143 million at auction in 2022. Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who was the racing head at Mercedes, used one of them as his work car. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is auctioning off some amazing cars to help raise money for improving the museum. Last week, a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R streamliner was sold for a remarkable $52,574,112. Can I do a Jeremy Clarkson impression? Got it. Its price, which is in the eight figures, makes it the second most expensive car in the world. This leads to the question: What is the most expensive car in the world, and where can it be found? It’s finally here. At least, that’s true if you’re strolling along the sidewalk in Monaco. An Instagram video shared a few days ago shows one of the two existing 300SLR Uhlenhaut coupes smoothly drifting through Turn Six, the sharp turn going downhill on a closed road. This car sold for nine figures ($143 million) two years ago and is likely worth far more now. There it is, moving without direction between a Volkswagen van and an Audi. The 300SLR was not designed to be a street car, but it is basically an improved version of the IMS W 196 R race car. It was made for the Carrera Panamerica, which is North America’s version of the Mille Miglia, a long race that took place in 1955. Since the race was canceled, the two 300SLRs probably didn’t perform aggressively. All but Rudolf Uhlenhaut. Uhlenhaut had two citizenship because he was born in London to a German dad. After completing his engineering studies in Munich, he started working at Mercedes in 1931 and contributed to the development of the successful W125 race car. Even though he was watched closely during the war because he was a British citizen, he made it through and went back to work for Mercedes in the late 1940s. In 1952, he created the race version of the 300SL, which had unique gullwing doors. The doors on the Gullwing are designed for function, not just looks, like the scissor doors on a Lamborghini Countach. The doors that open upward were a secondary idea, and the box-frame design made it possible to have big, tall door openings. They become a special feature of one of the best cars ever made in Germany. The 3.0-liter fuel-injected inline-six engine in the car and convertible 300SLs produces just over 200 horsepower. The racing W196 R’s 3.0-liter eight-cylinder engine could deliver over 300 horsepower at its best. It was a Formula One engine. The two 300SLRs used a very loud engine. It sounds more like a fighter plane with blades revving up for takeoff than a car, and it goes out to the right through two small exhaust pipes. The 300SLR caused Uhlenhaut to need hearing aids when he got older.
