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Children ask, taz answers: How much did the most expensive car in the world cost?
We want to know from children what questions concern them. We answer one every week. This question comes from Liam-León, 10 years old. more...
Deutsch (original) ·Auto-translated to English
Dear Liam-León, on May 5, 2022 a record was set in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. In the light of the headlights there shone a silver car with two doors that do not open to the side, but swing upwards. Enthusiastic car and art collectors gathered around it. They made offers on how much they would pay for the car. The person who names the highest price at the end wins - that's how it works at an auction. That evening people drove the price up to crazy heights. In the end, the most expensive car in the world is sold.
The car is called the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupé” and was built in 1955. Its price: 135 million euros. You could buy around 4,500 normal family cars for that. What makes a car so extremely valuable?
For one thing, the car is very rare. Rudolf Uhlenhaut, Mercedes' head of technology at the time, and his team only made exactly two copies. One is still in the museum today, the other was sold. On the other hand, the speedster contains the best technology of its time: its engine has over 300 hp and accelerates the car to up to 290 kilometers per hour. Originally he was even supposed to start in a big race in Mexico. But that was canceled and Mercedes withdrew from racing a little later. So Rudolf Uhlenhaut quickly turned the car into his own company car.
This text first appeared in wochentaz, our weekly newspaper from the left!
Every week, wochentaz is about the world as it is – and as it could be. A left-wing weekly newspaper with a voice, attitude and the special taz view of the world. New every Saturday at the kiosk and of course by subscription.
Mercedes used the money from the auction to establish a global funding program in 2023. Young people receive financial support if they get involved in environmental research and fight against climate change, i.e. if they don't drive cars like the Uhlenhaut around.
By the way, this is by far the most expensive car in the world. The second most expensive is the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R “Streamliner”, which was auctioned in Stuttgart last year for around 52 million euros. Third and fourth places go to Ferrari, which sold cars for 43 and 45 million euros in 2018 and 2023, respectively. Crazy to think that the Uhlenhaut was worth more than three times as much to someone who was obviously very rich, right?
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