MERCEDES-BENZ
not including pre-merging Daimler and Benz
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Top 10 Cars Germany II Cars 1930s Cars 1936-37 Cars 1950s Cars 1953-54 Cars 1955 Cars 1956-57 Supercars Formula One
Chronology : 20th century 1936 1950-1959 1954 1955 2002 2013
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Top 10 Cars Germany II Cars 1930s Cars 1936-37 Cars 1950s Cars 1953-54 Cars 1955 Cars 1956-57 Supercars Formula One
Chronology : 20th century 1936 1950-1959 1954 1955 2002 2013
Intro
In the history of industry, the merger in 1926 of DMG (Daimler) and Benz is an exemplary case. Their product lines took benefit from the quality of their manufacturing but the German crisis could lead both of them to bankruptcy. Their combination, including the creation of a single Mercedes-Benz brand for the group, provided the new company with the critical size needed for a restart.
The high-end was offered since 1924 by the models 24/100/140 and 15/70/100. A sports variant 24/110/160 was introduced in 1926. This denomination which may now seem odd indicates successively the fiscal power and the real power in hp without and with compression.
Pushed by the prestige of the competitions, the power is gradually increased. The new Mercedes-Benz company introduces the Typ S (Sportwagen) in 1927 as the successor to the Mercedes Model K. A specialty of Daimler had been to equip their Mercedes cars with a Roots supercharger.
For the new brand, the chief engineer Ferdinand Porsche designed in 1927 the most powerful sports car of that time, the Mercedes-Benz 680S with a huge supercharged 6.8 liter engine. The supercharger was only engaged when the pedal was depressed.
In terms of bodywork the Sindelfingen factory offers the high-end but the customer may also buy the chassis and have the body realized by a craftsman.
A 1927 680S 26/120/180 was sold for $ 5M by Gooding in August 2011, lot 119. This highly authentic Sportwagen is in matching number configuration and retains its original Sindelfingen body.
Made in 1928 and sole survivor from three built with a low windshield, a Mercedes-Benz 680S 26/120/180 hp coachworked by Saoutchik as a Torpedo roadster is a great example of the perfection and modernism that could be achieved at that time.
Its mechanics are German but the elegance is French. It is an early masterpiece by Jacques Saoutchik, a former cabinetmaker inspired by the Parisian Art Déco who knew to combine style and innovation. Made on order for an American businessman who failed to take it after a reversal of fortunes, it was exhibited at the New York Auto Salon in 1929.
After a stunning restoration, this car was awarded the highest honors : perfect with 100 points and Best of Show at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Restoration of the Year at the 2012 International Historic Motoring Awards and First in Class at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. This car was sold for $ 8.3M by RM Auctions on August 17, 2013, lot 216.
A 26/120/180 S from 1928 was sold for $ 5.4M by Bonhams on August 13, 2021, lot 34. The car was owned in the family of the consignor since 1964. It is believed that its body has never been changed. The records of the brand state that the chassis has been shipped to Gläser. This coachbuilder was based in Dresden.
The high-end was offered since 1924 by the models 24/100/140 and 15/70/100. A sports variant 24/110/160 was introduced in 1926. This denomination which may now seem odd indicates successively the fiscal power and the real power in hp without and with compression.
Pushed by the prestige of the competitions, the power is gradually increased. The new Mercedes-Benz company introduces the Typ S (Sportwagen) in 1927 as the successor to the Mercedes Model K. A specialty of Daimler had been to equip their Mercedes cars with a Roots supercharger.
For the new brand, the chief engineer Ferdinand Porsche designed in 1927 the most powerful sports car of that time, the Mercedes-Benz 680S with a huge supercharged 6.8 liter engine. The supercharger was only engaged when the pedal was depressed.
In terms of bodywork the Sindelfingen factory offers the high-end but the customer may also buy the chassis and have the body realized by a craftsman.
A 1927 680S 26/120/180 was sold for $ 5M by Gooding in August 2011, lot 119. This highly authentic Sportwagen is in matching number configuration and retains its original Sindelfingen body.
Made in 1928 and sole survivor from three built with a low windshield, a Mercedes-Benz 680S 26/120/180 hp coachworked by Saoutchik as a Torpedo roadster is a great example of the perfection and modernism that could be achieved at that time.
Its mechanics are German but the elegance is French. It is an early masterpiece by Jacques Saoutchik, a former cabinetmaker inspired by the Parisian Art Déco who knew to combine style and innovation. Made on order for an American businessman who failed to take it after a reversal of fortunes, it was exhibited at the New York Auto Salon in 1929.
After a stunning restoration, this car was awarded the highest honors : perfect with 100 points and Best of Show at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Restoration of the Year at the 2012 International Historic Motoring Awards and First in Class at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. This car was sold for $ 8.3M by RM Auctions on August 17, 2013, lot 216.
A 26/120/180 S from 1928 was sold for $ 5.4M by Bonhams on August 13, 2021, lot 34. The car was owned in the family of the consignor since 1964. It is believed that its body has never been changed. The records of the brand state that the chassis has been shipped to Gläser. This coachbuilder was based in Dresden.
540K Spezial Roadster
Intro
After an early great period around 1928 with the 680 S, Mercedes-Benz is positioning more firmly in the luxury car market in 1933 with the 380 and its variant 380K where K means Kompressor. Its 3.8-liter engine is too small and its maximum speed of 145 km/h with the supercharger does not differ sufficiently from its competitors.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled in 1936 the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Spezial Roadster.
Aesthetically, this two-seater convertible is a wonder due to the skill of Hermann Ahrens and his team in Sindelfingen. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.10 m chassis. It somehow anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
The weight gain of its open cabin enables a top speed at 185 km/h which is 25 km/h more than a basic 540K in a closed bodywork.
It is the most expensive : 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
Its engine 5.4 liter with Kompressor makes the 540K the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no successor. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
With a high intelligence Mercedes-Benz appreciates that the wealthiest customers shall prefer a bigger and more powerful car even if it is much more expensive. The 380 is terminated in mid-1934 to be replaced by the 5 liter 500 and its supercharged 500K which reaches 160 km/h on the road.
In an international perspective the 500s come at the right time. The Cord group fails to balance the budget of Duesenberg, Bugatti's La Royale is an almost total commercial failure and Bentley went bankrupt.
The coachwork becomes gorgeous. The high end is named Roadster, understood as a synonym for Grand Tourer. Mercedes-Benz optimize the bodies by promoting a standardization at their assembly plant in Sindelfingen, but remain responsive to the specific needs of their clients.
On September 3, 2016, Bonhams sold at lot 16 for € 5.3M a 500 K Roadster coachworked in Sindelfingen.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled in 1936 the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Spezial Roadster.
Aesthetically, this two-seater convertible is a wonder due to the skill of Hermann Ahrens and his team in Sindelfingen. Its tapered shape, with the door in alignment of the covers, gives an illusion of lightness that fully compensates the large dimensions of its 5.10 m chassis. It somehow anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
The weight gain of its open cabin enables a top speed at 185 km/h which is 25 km/h more than a basic 540K in a closed bodywork.
It is the most expensive : 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
Its engine 5.4 liter with Kompressor makes the 540K the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no successor. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
1
1936 ex von Krieger
2012 SOLD for $ 11.8M by Gooding
Known as a lover of beautiful cars, a Prussian aristocrat named von Krieger bought a 540K Spezial Roadster as early as 1936 for the use of his his two children, but it was to his daughter Gisela, 23, to monopolize it for supporting her social life.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
Retaining its original equipment, this car of the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, was sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding on August 18-19, 2012. It is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
Then came the war. Baroness Gisela hid her car and then went to a reclusive life. After her death in 1989, her wonderful car was retrieved intact, with driving maps, lipstick-stained cigarette butts and silk gloves used by its owner four decades earlier.
Retaining its original equipment, this car of the most beautiful German model of the 1930s, owned and driven by one of the most elegant young ladies of the time, was sold for $ 11.8M by Gooding on August 18-19, 2012. It is illustrated in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
2
1937
2016 SOLD for $ 9.9M by RM Sotheby's
A 540K Spezial Roadster was sold for $ 9.9M by RM Sotheby's on January 29, 2016, lot 242. A collector car from its origin, it had rarely been driven. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. This car had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. This car had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
3
1937 ex Zahir Shah
2022 SOLD for $ 9.9M by RM Sotheby's
A Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster was made in 1937 at Sindelfingen with the ultimate options : long tail, high door, covered rear spare. It was sold new to the young King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan and spent the war in the embassy of that country in Paris.
It was later exhibited for three decades in a museum that managed carriage cavalcades in a model roadside circus in the touristic resort of Silver Springs, Florida.
Refinished in 1953 in two tone maroon with a new upholstery for the purpose of that museum, this mechanically unrestored parade car keeps an excellent originality throughout after a mere five owners and an estimated 20,000 km from new. It was sold for $ 9.9M by RM Sotheby's on August 18, 2022, lot 108.
It was later exhibited for three decades in a museum that managed carriage cavalcades in a model roadside circus in the touristic resort of Silver Springs, Florida.
Refinished in 1953 in two tone maroon with a new upholstery for the purpose of that museum, this mechanically unrestored parade car keeps an excellent originality throughout after a mere five owners and an estimated 20,000 km from new. It was sold for $ 9.9M by RM Sotheby's on August 18, 2022, lot 108.
4
1937 ex Mann
2011 SOLD for $ 9.7M by RM Auctions
One of three surviving examples of metallic gray 540K Spezial Roadster, made in 1937 with high doors and a long tail, was sold for $ 9.7M on August 20, 2011 by RM Auctions. It is illustrated on the top of the page in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
1954 W196
1
00006/54
2013 SOLD for £ 19.6M by Bonhams
Everything goes very fast, in any meaning of the word, for Mercedes-Benz at the beginning of 1954. Technology is the best asset to win competitions. For coming back to racing, the German brand aligns the 300SL model for endurance and the W196 single-seater for Formula 1.
The original body of the W196 is the streamlined Stromlinienwagen in magnesium alloy, low, wide and smoothly curved with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the air friction. The engine is a straight eight 2.5 liters with two camshafts. The top speed in this configuration reaches 290 km/h.
They are committed to win. Mercedes manage to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season in a Maserati.
Four cars are ready for their debut race, the Grand Prix de France in Reims on July 4. With the chassis 3, Fangio starts in pole position and wins the race while a teammate finishes second.
Meanwhile an open wheeler was under design for difficult circuits such as the Nürburgring. Fangio requires it for that event happening in August. Chassis 3 is re-bodied for him as an open wheeler while two brand new cars, chassis 5 and 6, are released with the new body. Fangio once again catches the pole position and the final win.
Three weeks later Fangio wins the Swiss Grand Prix with Chassis 6 still in open wheels. Fangio terminates the season with his second Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship title.
Preserved as an open wheeler, the 6 was sold for £ 19.6M on July 12, 2013 by Bonhams, lot 320. It was at that time the only example of the model in private hands.
The original body of the W196 is the streamlined Stromlinienwagen in magnesium alloy, low, wide and smoothly curved with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the air friction. The engine is a straight eight 2.5 liters with two camshafts. The top speed in this configuration reaches 290 km/h.
They are committed to win. Mercedes manage to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season in a Maserati.
Four cars are ready for their debut race, the Grand Prix de France in Reims on July 4. With the chassis 3, Fangio starts in pole position and wins the race while a teammate finishes second.
Meanwhile an open wheeler was under design for difficult circuits such as the Nürburgring. Fangio requires it for that event happening in August. Chassis 3 is re-bodied for him as an open wheeler while two brand new cars, chassis 5 and 6, are released with the new body. Fangio once again catches the pole position and the final win.
Three weeks later Fangio wins the Swiss Grand Prix with Chassis 6 still in open wheels. Fangio terminates the season with his second Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship title.
Preserved as an open wheeler, the 6 was sold for £ 19.6M on July 12, 2013 by Bonhams, lot 320. It was at that time the only example of the model in private hands.
2
00009/54
2025 SOLD for € 51M by RM Sotheby's
After the chassis 6 narrated above, eight other W196 were released, numbered 7 to 10 and 12 to 15.
The 9 was first tested in December 1954. It was raced as an opened wheeler by Fangio in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in January 1955, winning that event. It was re-bodied as a Stromlinienwagen before being driven at Monza by Stirling Moss for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. It achieved the fastest lap in that event.
Maintained in its Monza body, it was donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. From the collection of that museum, it was sold for € 51M in a single lot auction by RM Sotheby's on February 1, 2025. The auction is held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Its photo in the Indianapolis Museum in 2013 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Doug4422, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The 1955 season was shortened by the cancelling of many Grand Prix after the accident at Le Mans. Mercedes-Benz then withdrew from motor sport including Formula 1, terminating the short but highly successful story of the W196.
The 9 was first tested in December 1954. It was raced as an opened wheeler by Fangio in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in January 1955, winning that event. It was re-bodied as a Stromlinienwagen before being driven at Monza by Stirling Moss for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. It achieved the fastest lap in that event.
Maintained in its Monza body, it was donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. From the collection of that museum, it was sold for € 51M in a single lot auction by RM Sotheby's on February 1, 2025. The auction is held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Its photo in the Indianapolis Museum in 2013 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Doug4422, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The 1955 season was shortened by the cancelling of many Grand Prix after the accident at Le Mans. Mercedes-Benz then withdrew from motor sport including Formula 1, terminating the short but highly successful story of the W196.
1955 Uhlenhaut Coupé
2022 SOLD for € 135M by RM Sotheby's
Two special adaptations of the 3 litre 300 SLR coupé were made by Mercedes-Benz in 1955. Designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut, they are known as the Uhlenhaut coupés. Capable of reaching 290 km/h, this model was the fastest road going car of its time.
Employed by Mercedes-Benz since 1931, Uhlenhaut had been a lead designer of the Silver Arrows, of the Formula One highly successful W196 of JM Fangio fame and of the open top Rennsport 300 SLR of Stirling Moss fame. He was also behind the scene of the Le Mans winner W194 and of the road going 300 SL gullwing.
The Uhlenhaut coupés were assembled as two seaters with gullwing doors on two W196 chassis left unused after the 1955 Le Mans crash and the subsequent withdrawal of the brand from motor sport.
Both prototypes were retained by Mercedes-Benz from new. Uhlenhaut had one as a company car. He once drove the 230 km on the autobahn between Stuttgart and Munich in less than an hour.
The first one is on display in the museum of the brand. The second car was used as a demonstration car and was restored in 1986. It was sold for € 135M on May 5, 2022 by RM Sotheby's in a private auction, lot 1. The proceeds help to create a Mercedes-Benz fund for young researchers in environmental science and carbon dioxide reduction.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house, featuring with the hammer Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby's Europe.
Response by Grok :
Quote
RM Sotheby's @rmsothebys Jun 28
Before it sold for €135M, it was just Uhlenhaut’s “company car.” He once drove it 230 km from Stuttgart to Munich in under an hour. The 300 SLR wasn’t built for traffic. It was built for legends. https://bit.ly/4hRRiAb #UhlenhautCoupe #Mercedes #CarTwitter
Employed by Mercedes-Benz since 1931, Uhlenhaut had been a lead designer of the Silver Arrows, of the Formula One highly successful W196 of JM Fangio fame and of the open top Rennsport 300 SLR of Stirling Moss fame. He was also behind the scene of the Le Mans winner W194 and of the road going 300 SL gullwing.
The Uhlenhaut coupés were assembled as two seaters with gullwing doors on two W196 chassis left unused after the 1955 Le Mans crash and the subsequent withdrawal of the brand from motor sport.
Both prototypes were retained by Mercedes-Benz from new. Uhlenhaut had one as a company car. He once drove the 230 km on the autobahn between Stuttgart and Munich in less than an hour.
The first one is on display in the museum of the brand. The second car was used as a demonstration car and was restored in 1986. It was sold for € 135M on May 5, 2022 by RM Sotheby's in a private auction, lot 1. The proceeds help to create a Mercedes-Benz fund for young researchers in environmental science and carbon dioxide reduction.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house, featuring with the hammer Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby's Europe.
Response by Grok :
Quote
RM Sotheby's @rmsothebys Jun 28
Before it sold for €135M, it was just Uhlenhaut’s “company car.” He once drove it 230 km from Stuttgart to Munich in under an hour. The 300 SLR wasn’t built for traffic. It was built for legends. https://bit.ly/4hRRiAb #UhlenhautCoupe #Mercedes #CarTwitter
- The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, featured in the post, achieved a record-breaking sale of €135 million in 2022, funded a Mercedes-Benz scholarship for environmental science, and remains one of only two ever built, with its designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut using it as a personal car.
- Historical records, including Motorsport Magazine investigations, cast doubt on the claim of Uhlenhaut driving 230 km from Stuttgart to Munich in under an hour, as post-war German roads lacked the infrastructure for such speeds, suggesting the story may be exaggerated.
- The car's gull-wing design and 290 km/h top speed, documented in engineering analyses from the era, reflect advanced aerodynamics and engineering by Uhlenhaut, marking it as a pinnacle of 1950s automotive innovation despite Mercedes’ subsequent racing withdrawal after the 1955 Le Mans disaster.
1956 300 SL Alloy Gullwing
2024 SOLD for $ 9.4M by RM Sotheby's
In 1954 Mercedes-Benz releases the 300 SL coupe. 300 refers to a 3-liter engine and SL (Sport Leicht) is a skilled summary of the targeted market. Its unprecedented gullwing doors have their hinge in the axis of the roof. Access to the seat is not really easy and rainwater pours on the passenger's head when he gets out of the car. From 1954 to 1957, 1,400 cars were produced before a come back to a more classical design.
The Alloy version also identified as Leichtmetall was released in 1955 for road going competition. The weight reduction is 80 kg from the basic steel model. 24 cars were produced in 1955 and 5 in 1956.
The 13th Alloy Gullwing had been delivered to the Mercedes-Benz agent in Casablanca. It was not used in competition in period and escaped the usual wear of its thin aluminum based body.
In a stunning condition with its matching number engine and original body, it was sold for $ 6.8M by RM Sotheby's on January 27, 2022, lot 159. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Another 1955 300 SL Alloy Gullwing that also retains its matching number engine was sold for $ 4.6M by Gooding on January 20, 2012, lot 27.
The 26th, completed in January 1956, had been delivered new to Chinetti who kept it for two decades. After five decades in the confidential Rudi Klein collection, that barn find car keeps its original interior, body, engine, gearbox, rear axle, steering box and front spindles. It was sold for $ 9.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4.5M by RM Sotheby's on October 26, 2024, lot 290.
The Alloy version also identified as Leichtmetall was released in 1955 for road going competition. The weight reduction is 80 kg from the basic steel model. 24 cars were produced in 1955 and 5 in 1956.
The 13th Alloy Gullwing had been delivered to the Mercedes-Benz agent in Casablanca. It was not used in competition in period and escaped the usual wear of its thin aluminum based body.
In a stunning condition with its matching number engine and original body, it was sold for $ 6.8M by RM Sotheby's on January 27, 2022, lot 159. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Another 1955 300 SL Alloy Gullwing that also retains its matching number engine was sold for $ 4.6M by Gooding on January 20, 2012, lot 27.
The 26th, completed in January 1956, had been delivered new to Chinetti who kept it for two decades. After five decades in the confidential Rudi Klein collection, that barn find car keeps its original interior, body, engine, gearbox, rear axle, steering box and front spindles. It was sold for $ 9.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4.5M by RM Sotheby's on October 26, 2024, lot 290.
2002 CLK GTR Roadster
2023 SOLD for $ 10.2M by RM Sotheby's
Mercedes-Benz was supported since 1967 for the high performance engineering and custom projects by their partner AMG, which will be fully owned by the corporate in 2005.
The international organizations that manage the motor sport are continuously oscillating between promoting prototypes and grand touring. Announced in 1994, the initiative of the BPR Global GT Series is highly appealing the manufacturers. From the 1997 season, the FIA takes back the direct control of these competitions.
The FIA did not give up the old idea of a competition class that can be used to support the sales of high-end cars. The GT1 category is announced in 1996 for a start on the following year. Its specifications allow improvements that will not serve the basic model, including specific materials, improved aerodynamics, larger brakes and wider tires.
Mercedes-Benz cheers the GT1 as a great showcase to promote its supercars against McLaren and Ferrari. The release in just a few months by AMG of the CLK GTR would prove that discussions with the FIA had lasted for a significant time. The GT1 is close to a prototype category for which the returns on investment are not a foregone conclusion and Chrysler, for example, did not venture there.
The GT1 regulations require a population of 25 road homologated cars. The industrial challenge is so important that the organizers are tolerant for some interpretations of the rules. Mercedes-Benz has its car approved in GT1 before beginning the production model.
The supporting Strassenversion of the Mercedes-Benz AMG is made of 20 coupes and 6 roadsters. The production of these customer cars started in the summer of 1998, more than one year after the racing involvement of the prototypes.
These road cars that support the GT1 version are in period the most expensive cars on the market : around $ 1 million for the coupe and $ 1.5 million for the roadster, the world record in period for the most expensive commercially available road car.
That Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR, followed in 1998 by the CLK LM, was only loosely related to the new luxury mid size CLK class.
The success of the GTR and of the LM was so overwhelming that Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari and BMW gave up. The FIA GT1 and GT2 did not survive the 1998 season. Mercedes-Benz's ambitions in this class of competition are canceled in 1999 by the disastrous instability of the next model, the CLR, along with a further change in the rules of the FIA.The CLK GTR coupe has a follower in the CLK GTR roadster with open top. Built in 6 units by HWA which was the successor to AMG from 1999, this model was capable of reaching 320 km/h (in theory).
Mercedes-Benz had kept until 2014 the first of these six roadsters, which was revised by them before being sold to an investor who did not intend to use it. This beautiful black car with only 8 km from new was sold for £ 1.5M by Bonhams on June 26, 2015, lot 340.
The 3rd roadster is dated 2002. With 170 km from new, it was sold for $ 10.2M by RM Sotheby's on November 17, 2023, lot 38. It is finished in silver paint over a black and grey leather interior.
The international organizations that manage the motor sport are continuously oscillating between promoting prototypes and grand touring. Announced in 1994, the initiative of the BPR Global GT Series is highly appealing the manufacturers. From the 1997 season, the FIA takes back the direct control of these competitions.
The FIA did not give up the old idea of a competition class that can be used to support the sales of high-end cars. The GT1 category is announced in 1996 for a start on the following year. Its specifications allow improvements that will not serve the basic model, including specific materials, improved aerodynamics, larger brakes and wider tires.
Mercedes-Benz cheers the GT1 as a great showcase to promote its supercars against McLaren and Ferrari. The release in just a few months by AMG of the CLK GTR would prove that discussions with the FIA had lasted for a significant time. The GT1 is close to a prototype category for which the returns on investment are not a foregone conclusion and Chrysler, for example, did not venture there.
The GT1 regulations require a population of 25 road homologated cars. The industrial challenge is so important that the organizers are tolerant for some interpretations of the rules. Mercedes-Benz has its car approved in GT1 before beginning the production model.
The supporting Strassenversion of the Mercedes-Benz AMG is made of 20 coupes and 6 roadsters. The production of these customer cars started in the summer of 1998, more than one year after the racing involvement of the prototypes.
These road cars that support the GT1 version are in period the most expensive cars on the market : around $ 1 million for the coupe and $ 1.5 million for the roadster, the world record in period for the most expensive commercially available road car.
That Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR, followed in 1998 by the CLK LM, was only loosely related to the new luxury mid size CLK class.
The success of the GTR and of the LM was so overwhelming that Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari and BMW gave up. The FIA GT1 and GT2 did not survive the 1998 season. Mercedes-Benz's ambitions in this class of competition are canceled in 1999 by the disastrous instability of the next model, the CLR, along with a further change in the rules of the FIA.The CLK GTR coupe has a follower in the CLK GTR roadster with open top. Built in 6 units by HWA which was the successor to AMG from 1999, this model was capable of reaching 320 km/h (in theory).
Mercedes-Benz had kept until 2014 the first of these six roadsters, which was revised by them before being sold to an investor who did not intend to use it. This beautiful black car with only 8 km from new was sold for £ 1.5M by Bonhams on June 26, 2015, lot 340.
The 3rd roadster is dated 2002. With 170 km from new, it was sold for $ 10.2M by RM Sotheby's on November 17, 2023, lot 38. It is finished in silver paint over a black and grey leather interior.
2013 Mercedes AMG F1
2023 SOLD for $ 19M by RM Sotheby's
Mercedes-Benz had a successful participation in Formula One in 1954 and 1955. Their ambition restarted for the 2010 season with the sponsorship of the energy group Petronas. The drivers were Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Schumacher retired before the 2013 season and was replaced by Lewis Hamilton coming from McLaren with which he had won the 2008 drivers' championship at the age of 23.
The model for 2013 was the Mercedes AMG Petronas W04. This F1 season was the last one using naturally aspirated V-8 engines with the signature F1 soundtrack. The chassis 04 was driven by Hamilton in 14 out of the 19 events including the win in the Hungarian Grand Prix. This car was sold for $ 19M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by RM Sotheby's on November 17, 2023, lot 13.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image of this car driven by Hamilton in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix to a third place finish is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
The co-operation of Mercedes and Hamilton was fruitful. Hamilton won 6 drivers' championship from 2014 to 2020 and Mercedes-AMG 8 successive constructors' championships from 2014 to 2021.
The model for 2013 was the Mercedes AMG Petronas W04. This F1 season was the last one using naturally aspirated V-8 engines with the signature F1 soundtrack. The chassis 04 was driven by Hamilton in 14 out of the 19 events including the win in the Hungarian Grand Prix. This car was sold for $ 19M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by RM Sotheby's on November 17, 2023, lot 13.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image of this car driven by Hamilton in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix to a third place finish is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
The co-operation of Mercedes and Hamilton was fruitful. Hamilton won 6 drivers' championship from 2014 to 2020 and Mercedes-AMG 8 successive constructors' championships from 2014 to 2021.
