Mercedes Benz 500K Cabriolet A Coachwork By Sindelfingen 1935, Alemanha

 

Mercedes Benz 500K Cabriolet A Coachwork By Sindelfingen 1935, Alemanha

Fotografia

Sensation of the 1934 Berlin Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's legendary pre-war 500K supercar cost a small fortune when new and today commands a king's ransom, such is its rarity. The 1930s decade was a period of unprecedented fertility in motor car styling, of which the sublime 500K represented the very pinnacle of excellence. Its timeless appeal endures to this day.
The 500K, which boasted an ingenious swing-axle independent rear suspension layout, was created by Hans Nibel, who having started with Benz in the early years of the 20th Century, succeeded Marius Barbarou as chief engineer in 1904 and designed (and raced) the huge Benz cars of the period, culminating in the 200hp 'Blitzen' Benz. After the merger with Mercedes he replaced Ferdinand Porsche and created the most sophisticated chassis of their day for road and track, including the first of the 'Silver Arrow' racers. The supercharged road-going Mercedes of the 1930s are a wonderful tribute to his engineering skills.
Together with its successor the 540K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 500K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. The 500K was powered by a 5,018cc supercharged straight-eight engine that featured the company's famous Roots-type supercharger system in which pressing the accelerator pedal to the end of its travel would simultaneously engage the compressor and close off the alternative atmospheric intake to the carburettor. This system had been thoroughly proven on the preceding series of Dr Porsche-conceived S-Type cars, and in effect the 500/540K was the last supercharged production Mercedes until relatively recent times.
Beneath its seemingly endless bonnet, the 500K's straight-eight engine developed 100bhp un-supercharged or 160bhp with the compressor engaged. The gearbox was a four-speeder with overdrive top ratio. With the supercharger engaged, the 500K had a top speed approaching 110mph (177km/h) matched by servo-assisted hydraulic braking. Its performance potential was such that Mercedes-Benz in the UK retained racing driver Goffredo 'Freddy' Zehender as technical adviser and demonstration driver, since the supercharged Mercedes was one of the few genuine 100mph road cars available in the 1930s.
Although the 500K/540K chassis attracted the attention of many of the better quality bespoke coachbuilders of the day, the company's own Sindelfingen coachwork left little room for improvement. The cabriolet came in a variety of styles, this example carrying the Cabriolet A option with two-door, left-hand drive coachwork. The work of the gifted Hermann Ahrens, design chief at Mercedes-Benz's in-house Sindelfingen coachworks, the Cabriolet A offered two-seater accommodation allied to breathtaking performance. After testing a 500K cabriolet in 1936, 'The Autocar' declared: 'This is a master car, for the very few. The sheer insolence of its great power affords an experience on its own.'
The manufacturing record of the 500K reveals its exclusive nature: 105 being produced in 1934, 190 in 1935 and 59 in 1936 making a total of only 354 cars of which a mere 31 cabriolet A versions. In recent years, the rarity, style and performance of these big supercharged Mercedes have made them one of the most sought-after of all classic cars on the few occasions they have come on the open market.
The imposing and supremely elegant 500K Cabriolet we offer here was delivered new to Berlin, Germany on 15th June 1935 and first owned by the celebrated French actor, Henry Garat. Born Emile Henri Camille Garascu on 3rd April 1902 in Paris, France, Garat appeared in some 40 movies, all but a tiny handful made during the 1930s. He died on 13th August 1959 at Hyères in Var, France. Garat's 500K is illustrated in Jan Melin's book 'Mercedes-Benz – The Supercharged 8-Cylinder Cars of the 1930s' with its proud first owner (Volume 1) and at the Paris Concours d'Élégance of June 1936 in the company of two elegant young ladies (Volume 2).
The previous owner purchased the 500K in December 1969. Comprehensively restored between 2001 and 2007, the car comes with numerous related invoices from Nusbaumer SA of Delémont, Switzerland (mechanical works); marque specialist Reifen-Wagner Mercedes-Benz Kompressorwagen Restaurierung of Landshut, Germany (parts); and Mercedes-Benz, Stuttgart (parts). Carrosserie Berthelet of Geneva, Switzerland carried out the bodywork refurbishment.
The accompanying history file also contains correspondence with Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart concerning this car; copy extracts from the factory commission book; a 500K sales brochure; a Mercedes-Benz Cabriolets sales brochure; two Henry Garat movie posters; assorted restoration photographs; and Swiss Permis de Circulation. The car has now been imported into the European Union, with all taxes paid. A jack and original owner's and parts manuals are also included in the sale. Representative of the very best that money could buy in the mid-1930s, this car is an excellent example of this classic German model and a credit to its owner's refined good taste.