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Mercedes has sold one of two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes from its Classic Collection for a record €135 million (£114 million). The money will be used to set up the Mercedes-Benz Fund to provide educational and research scholarships in environmental science and decarbonisation.

The car was sold by auction to a private collector, setting a new world record for the sale of any single car.

Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said: ‘The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes are milestones in sports car development and key historical elements that have shaped our brand. The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars was taken with very sound reasoning – to benefit a good cause. The proceeds from the auction will fund a global scholarship program. With the "Mercedes-Benz Fund" we would like to encourage a new generation to follow in Rudolf Uhlenhaut's innovative footsteps and develop amazing new technologies.’

The price achieved for the Uhlenhaut Coupe beats the previous world record for a single car sale, which was $78 million (£62.5 million) in 2018 when a Ferrari 250 GTO was sold privately.