An antique Mercedes Simplex 60hp is expected to fetch a mind-boggling £8 million, potentially making it the most expensive vintage car ever sold at auction . Built in 1903, this extraordinary vehicle was the world’s first supercar and is one of his only five known examples remaining.
It was the fastest production car of its time, reaching speeds of 130 miles per hour. Experts consider this historical treasure to be one of the best and most important vintage cars ever produced.
The motor is expected to fetch well over £7.9 million at auction, with the possibility of it reaching over £8 million. The previous highest bid for a pre-1930s vehicle was for a 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Tulipwood’ torpedo, which sold for more than £7.3 million in 2022.
Read more: New traffic cameras to be installed on Leicester city center roads to tackle driving crime
This famous Mercedes Simplex 60 HP will be up for bid by Gooding & Company on February 29th and March 1st at Florida-based Amelia Island Auctions. Britain’s Charlie Ross of Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip and Flog It will lead the gavel swing.
Charlie was clearly excited about the event and said: “I can’t wait for the opportunity to offer this amazing, truly historic car.” He emphasized its importance, adding: “The importance of this Mercedes should never be underestimated.”
This unique masterpiece came into the hands of Alfred Harmsworth, the founder of the Daily Mail newspaper, 121 years ago. Born in Dublin in 1865, the famous newspaper boss has been called “the greatest man to ever walk Fleet Street”.
The car was also known for winning races, and was the fastest at events held in France and Northern Ireland in 1903.
Additionally, it was on display at the Beaulieu Motor Museum in Hampshire for over 60 years and took part in many motoring journeys from London to Brighton.
“Arguably the greatest automobile of its time, the Mercedes Simplex 60hp has been admired and sought after since the early days of the collector car hobby,” said a Gooding & Company spokesperson.
“Exclusive, technologically advanced and widely regarded as the model that established the legendary racing heritage of the Mercedes brand, the Sixty has always fascinated enthusiasts. Considering its influence, it’s remarkable that only five 60 horsepower Mercedes survive.” ”
Mr Harmsworth owned newspapers including the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, and when he wasn’t reporting news, he used his media power to share his love of cars.
In 1900, when automobiles were just beginning to become popular, he supported the Royal Automobile Club’s massive 1,000-mile trials. RAC Secretary-General Claude Johnson wrote a tribute to Mr Harmsworth. “At a time when other magazines were deriding automobiles as disgusting and unpleasant, he immediately put his wallet in the hands of the club and gave the project the utmost support in his paper.” Crazy unnecessary plaything. Harmsworth created a collection of cars between 1899 and 1917 at his Tudor mansion, Sutton Place, in Surrey.
These included the Gardner Serpoletto steam car, Locomobile, Daimler, single cylinder Renault, 12 hp Panhard, and Mercedes Simplex 40 hp. This is believed to be the first Mercedes sold in the UK. He was also one of the first to order his state-of-the-art 60-horsepower machine, the “Old Sixty.”
The ‘Old Sixty’ registration number A 740 was one of the first ‘A 1’s issued by London City Council in 1903. Before World War I, Harmsworth frequently showed off his beloved Mercedes and toured Britain and abroad.
When Harmsworth died in August 1922 at the age of 57, he left Mercedes to his 12-year-old son, Alfred John Francis Alexander Harmsworth. John Harmsworth himself had a keen interest in cars and brought the Sixty home to his home in the New Forest, England.
In 1954 the car was taken to Beaulieu in Hampshire where it was repaired and put on display in the brand new motoring museum there. In the 1960s, the rare Harmsworth Sixty became a permanent exhibit at the Beaulieu Automobile Museum due to its historical significance.
Automobile entrepreneur Emil Jellinek (1853-1918) created the first modern automobile, the Mercedes 35 horsepower, in 1900. He created the Mercedes trademark in 1902 and named it in honor of his daughter Mercedes his Jelinek.