Buying the 'Mona Lisa' of Cars

On 5th May this year history was made when one of the two 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut’ Coupés in existence was sold for €135,000,000, making it the most valuable car in the world and almost doubling the existing record set by a Ferrari 250 GTO.

The closed ‘Gullwing’ version of the all-conquering 300 SLR was built for a race that never happened, and both cars had remained with Mercedes-Benz ever since, ‘Blue’ (nicknamed for its upholstery) in their Museum and ‘Red’ (this car) in storage but brought out on special occasions. Simon was invited to sample it in 2010 and it remains his drive of a lifetime. He never expected the day would come when he raised his hand to buy it for a client, but this was a lesson that perseverance should never be underestimated. Here’s our short tribute to ‘The Mona Lisa of Cars’…