1955 Mercedes-Benz sold for $143 million, becomes most expensive car in the world

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz, of which reportedly only two versions are extant as of today, was sold out in an auction for $143 million (or 135 million euros), thereby making it the world's most expensive car

The auction, which was conducted by RM Sotheby's, known for putting some of the world's classic cars under the hammer, took place on May 5 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, news agency AFP reported.

The car sold for almost triple the previous record, which was held by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, that was sold for $48 million.

RM Sotheby’s stated that the car is one of just two models built by the company's racing department and is named after the car's creator, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, AFP reported.

“The private collector has agreed to access the Benz for public display only on special occasions, while the second original model of the car still belongs to the company and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart," AFP quoted the auction house as saying.

“The revenue collected from the auction will be utilised to set up a worldwide Mercedes-Benz fund that would be invested in environmental science and decarbonization research,” RM Sotheby’s added.

(With inputs from AFP)