--- title: "Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupé" · HICONIUM" description: "The closed 300 SLR was a W 196 S racing prototype, not a derivative of the production 300 SL. Two were completed and neither raced; Mercedes-Benz retained both until chassis 00008/55 sold for €135 million in 2022." canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/mercedesbenz/300-slr-uhlenhaut-coupe image: https://hiconium.dev/og/vehicle/mercedesbenz/300-slr-uhlenhaut-coupe.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [Vehicles](https://hiconium.dev/models) › [Mercedes-Benz](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/mercedes-benz) › 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupé" > On this page: [The price and the proof](#the-price-and-the-proof) · [Model readouts](#model-readouts) · [Documented sales](#documented-sales) · [The endurance coupé that missed its season](#overview-heading) · [Technical specifications](#technical-specifications) · [Powertrain](#powertrain) · [Chassis](#chassis) · [The people behind the car](#the-people-behind-the-car) · [Rudolf Uhlenhaut](#rudolf-uhlenhaut) · [Member instruments](#member-instruments) ![A silver Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, front three-quarter view on a stone field with a silver beam](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/mercedesbenz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coupe/hero-wide-2560.jpg) # 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupé" Two built. One sold. The closed 300 SLR was a W 196 S racing prototype, not a derivative of the production 300 SL. Two were completed and neither raced; Mercedes-Benz retained both until chassis 00008/55 sold for €135 million in 2022. 1955 · 2 built · Stuttgart ## The price and the proof Indicative road-car band €120M–€150M · typical €135M · 1 documented road sales · 1 recorded sales on file. Modeled values are not observed sales. Nothing here is investment advice. Confidence: estimate. The band is anchored to the only public transaction: the 2022 sale of chassis 196.110-00008/55 for €135 million. The other car remains in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, so there is no repeat market from which to infer a stable range. Indicative only. With one privately held car and one museum car, condition, availability and provenance cannot be separated from the 2022 result. One first-time sale after 67 years of factory ownership. | Record | Amount | What | Venue | Date | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Road record | €135'000'000 | Chassis 196.110-00008/55 | Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart | 2022-05-05 | Valuation method and source rules: [HICONIUM standards](https://hiconium.dev/standards). Observed auction results across the wider market: [Market terminal](https://hiconium.dev/market). ### Model readouts Synthetic model · insufficient ledger. model v1 · seed mercedesbenz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coupe. Compound annual growth is modeled price CAGR; S&P 500 is a price index without dividends. Forecast quantiles are not investment advice. | Window | This car* | S&P 500 | Gold | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1Y | +1.9% | +18.8% | +21.9% | | Series | Deepest drawdown | Window | | --- | --- | --- | | This car* | -17.4% | May 2022 → Nov 2023 · recovered Feb 2026 | | S&P 500 | -11.1% | Feb 2025 → Apr 2025 · recovered Jul 2025 | | Gold | -18.9% | Feb 2026 → Jul 2026 · not recovered | | Horizon | P10 | P50 | P90 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | +6M | €125'093'812 | €136'356'773 | €148'633'806 | | +12M | €123'723'400 | €137'727'181 | €153'315'996 | | +24M | €121'203'804 | €140'509'455 | €162'890'159 | ### Documented sales 1 recorded. Every public sale on this file, newest first. Amounts keep the recorded currency. Source links appear only when the catalog stores a public auction-lot URL. | Date | Chassis / label | Class | House | Venue | Amount | Currency | Basis | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2022-05-05 | RM Sotheby's · The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, Stuttgart, Germany · incl. buyer's premium | Road | RM Sotheby's | The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, Stuttgart, Germany | €135'000'000 | EUR | incl. buyer's premium | [https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/uc22/the-mercedes-benz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coup%C3%A9/lots/r0001-1955-mercedes-benz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coup%C3%A9/1248804](https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/uc22/the-mercedes-benz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coup%C3%A9/lots/r0001-1955-mercedes-benz-300-slr-uhlenhaut-coup%C3%A9/1248804) | The published €135 million result is the complete public market ledger for the type. ## The endurance coupé that missed its season Sindelfingen's body engineers drew a closed 300 SLR in November 1953. Formula 1 absorbed the racing department's capacity, and drivers preferred the open car when the W 196 S finally entered the 1955 sports-car season. The coupé project returned for the cancelled Carrera Panamericana and for 1956. Two cars were completed in 1955, but Mercedes-Benz's withdrawal from racing left them as development cars rather than competition entries. Rudolf Uhlenhaut drove the first car extensively across Europe. In 1956 Automobil Revue covered 3'500 kilometres in a coupé and recorded 284 km/h, with one run at 290 km/h. Mercedes-Benz kept both cars until the private 2022 auction of chassis 196.110-00008/55. | Highlight | Detail | | --- | --- | | A closed W 196 S | The name suggests a 300 SL relation. The hardware came instead from Mercedes-Benz's W 196 Grand Prix programme: a tubular frame, direct-injected straight-eight and inboard drums, widened for two seats. | | Built to race, then parked | Mercedes-Benz completed two coupés for long-distance work and the planned 1956 season. The board withdrew from motorsport in October 1955, so their competition record consists of practice and test mileage. | | A race cabin with doors | The driver straddles the drivetrain tunnel, removes the steering wheel to climb in and sits beside a simple flap that admits engine-bay heat. Two spare wheels sit over the fuel tank. | | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Built | 2 | | Engine | 3.0L straight-eight | | Body | Elektron magnesium | | Creator | Rudolf Uhlenhaut | | Public sale | €135 million | ## Technical specifications ### Powertrain | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Engine | 2'982 cc straight-eight | W 196-derived, naturally aspirated | | Fuel system | Direct injection | mechanical petrol injection | | Power | 300 hp | Mercedes-Benz archive description | | Gearbox | 5-speed manual | | | Drive | Rear-wheel drive | | ### Chassis | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Structure | Tubular spaceframe | adapted from the W 196 programme | | Body | Elektron magnesium alloy | formed at Sindelfingen | | Brakes | Inboard drum brakes | mounted inboard to reduce unsprung mass | | Kerb weight | 998 kg | factory rating cited by RM Sotheby's | | Doors | Roof-hinged gullwings | | ## The people behind the car ### [Rudolf Uhlenhaut](https://hiconium.dev/people/rudolf-uhlenhaut) Creator and chief engineer · Daimler-Benz Led development of the W 196 and 300 SLR programmes, then used a coupé for development and long-distance company travel. ## Member instruments A HICON Bid is a confidential expression of buying interest on this file. It is not a binding purchase, and HICONIUM holds no funds. [Sign in](https://hiconium.dev/sign-in) to place one. Garage files for an owned chassis are member records and are not listed here. [How membership works](https://hiconium.dev/membership).