The “most valuable car in the world”, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz, has sold for a record €135m (£114.4m).

The car is just one of two ultra-rare original 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection and has been sold to a private collector.

Proceeds of the auction will be used to establish a worldwide Mercedes Benz Fund that will provide educational and research scholarships in environmental science and decarbonisation.

Named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the coupe was a “milestone” car with distinct “gullwing doors” that helped shape the Mercedes brand.

The auction took place with RM Sotheby’s at Germany’s Mercedes-Benz museum, with a select number of collectors and Mercedes-Benz customers.

The private buyer has agreed it will remain accessible for public display “on special occasions” and its twin remains in company ownership and will remain on display in Stuttgart.

“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, particularly those that support the critical goal of decarbonisation and resource preservation,” said Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

“At the same time, achieving the highest price ever paid for a vehicle is extraordinary and humbling: A Mercedes-Benz is by far the most valuable car in the world.”

“As a global company and as a luxury brand we bear a great level of responsibility towards society,” added Renata Jungo Brüngger, a board member for Mercedes-Benz.

Read more: Bugatti La Voiture Noire bought for nearly £14.4m

The fund, she said, will help build a “more sustainable future”: “We are convinced that access to education in these areas will be crucial in encountering the great challenges of our time and contribute to greater stability, prosperity, and social cohesion.”

Related posts:

New vaccine has in-built ‘insurance’ against coronavirus mutations Fake Amazon reviews being sold ‘in bulk’ for £5 each online Hunt on to find British astronaut to go to the moon NASA completes major test on a rocket that could take humans back to the moon Science behind Pfizer vaccine can be used to give people cancer jabs ‘within a couple of years’ Penises are shrinking because of pollution, warns scientist Children can report nude photos of themselves online via new tool ‘Revolutionary’ protein database could change how diseases like COVID, dementia and cancer are treated Elizabeth Holmes tells fraud trial she believed her revolutionary technology was real Apple stops all product sales in Russia as RT and Sputnik removed from App Store How satellites as small as a shoebox are giving the public eyes and ears on the Ukraine invasion Microsoft to suspend all sales and services in Russia