1903 Mercedes most expensive antique car ever auctioned

By Ed Chatterton via SWNS

An ultra-rare Mercedes dubbed the "world's first supercar" has become the most expensive antique motor ever auctioned - after selling for $12 million.

The 121-year-old Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP set a world record for the most valuable pre-1930s car ever sold when it went under the hammer earlier this month.

The vintage motor fetched $12.1 million in Florida - also making it the first antique car to surpass $10 million.

The Mercedes, built in 1903, is one of only five known surviving examples and was owned by legendary UK newspaper magnate Alfred Harmsworth.

It was considered the fastest production car in the world at the start of the 20th century - capable of speeds of 80mph.

Prior to the sale, experts at Gooding and Company auctioneers described the vehicle as "among the finest and most significant of all antique cars" ever made.

Auctioneer Charlie Ross, of Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip and Flog It fame, said: "It was a real thrill to be on the rostrum for such an iconic piece of motoring history.

"The marquee was packed and the bidding started at $5 million, swiftly moving through the gears to $10 million.

"It then became a two-way battle which ended with the hammer falling at a breathtaking $11 million (£8.6m )– yet another world record for Gooding and Company."

The final price, including fees, was $12.1 million - beating the previous record
of $9.2m paid for a 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C 'Tulipwood' Torpedo.

The historic car was first purchased 121 years ago by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, the founder of the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror newspapers.

The newspaper magnate, born in County Dublin, Ireland, in 1865, has been described as "the greatest figure who ever strode Fleet Street."

The vehicle's rich history also includes winning races - setting the fastest times at Nice Speed Week, France, and Castlewellan Hill Climb, Northern Ireland, in 1903.

In addition it was exhibited at Hampshire’s Beaulieu Motor Museum for more than six decades and participated in numerous London-to-Brighton veteran car runs.

The car’s registration number – A 740 – is among the earliest issued by London City Council, which began supplying registrations in 1903 with "A 1."

Upon his death at the age of 57 in August 1922, the Mercedes was willed to Alfred's 12-year-old son, Alfred John Francis Alexander Harmsworth.

A Gooding & Company spokesperson said: “Unquestionably the finest motor car of its day, the Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP has been admired and sought after since the earliest years of the collector-car hobby.

"Exclusive, technically advanced, and universally regarded as the model that established the legendary racing heritage of the Mercedes marque, the Sixty has always appealed to connoisseurs.

"Considering their revered reputation and enduring influence, it is remarkable that only five 60 HP Mercedes have survived.”

Car entrepreneur Emil Jellinek (1853-1918) commissioned the first modern car, the Mercedes 35hp, in 1900.

He created the Mercedes trademark in 1902, naming it in honor of his daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.