Vintage 1955 Mercedes-Benz becomes most expensive car to sell at auction

Stuttgart: Mercedes-Benz announced it sold to a private collector one of only two examples of a 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe for €135 million ($143 million) at auction, making it the most expensive car in the world.

The car with its wing-like doors and sleek body is named after engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut. The auction took place May 5 at the Mercedes-Benz car museum in Stuttgart.

A second and the only other 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupe will remain at the company's car museum. The museum is home to 1,100 cars dating back to 1886.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the management board at Mercedes-Benz, said the Uhlenhaut coupe cars are "milestones in sports car development and an important historical development."

Money raised from the sale will benefit an international scholarship program set up by the company. The goal of the scholarship will be to promote the development of new decarbonizing technologies and resource conservation.