1935 Mercedes-Benz Other for sale $1,995,900

In the eyes of many, the Mercedes-Benz 500/540K embodies the true forward-thinking prowess of pre-war Germany! A successor to the almost instantly famous S/SS/SSK/SSKL models of the late 20s, the 500K (internal codename W29) bowed its head in 1934 in both chassis-only and one of thirteen different factory bespoke bodystyles. Assembled in Sindelfingen, the factory Mercedes cars were built on one of two wheelbases with three configurations. Featuring a 5.0L Inline 8 with a Roots supercharger and standard four speed manual (five speed optional!), the 500K was a truly ferocious car. The chassis consisted of a fully independent double wishbone front end and double-joint swing axle in the back, allowing a sporting but very comfortable ride! Aesthetically perfect, decades ahead mechanically and ultra rare, the 500K represents one of the finest motorcars to ever come out of Germany!

We couldnandrsquo;t be more excited to offer this 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster! The car comes finished in a beautiful and period shade of Ivory White over sumptuous Tan leather interior with matching Tan soft top! Under the hood is the original 500K 5.0L Inline 8 (dated March 5th, 1935) and supercharger that are mated to a standard four-speed manual transmission. The car has exquisite details and many standard features that include rear rumble-seat, auxiliary soft top, fully enclosed rear-mount spare tire, fully backlit gauges, dual cowl vents, front fog light, safety glass, vacuum-assist hydraulic brakes and 12V charging to power the power locks, windshield wipers and side indicators! The car rides on chromed wire wheels with Ivory Mercedes-Benz knock-offs wrapped in Dunlop Fort 7.00-17 blackwall tires!

The previous owner of the car, Mr. Fred Kemp, found this example in 1993. Having already owned a 540K, he had spent 30 years looking for a 500K Special Roadster, which he considered to be one of, if not the prettiest, Mercedes-Benz in their history. After some researching and scouring of enthusiast communities, he was pointed to the Carrosserie Kong restoration shop in Basel, Switzerland, where they had started on the restoration of a 500K Cabriolet B. Chassis number 123686 was delivered new to a Mr. Brenninkmeyer of England in 1935 as a black right-hand-drive model. Its whereabouts are scattered until 1974, when Bud Cohn helps Kalle Karlstrandouml;m of Los Angeles purchase the car. It was returned to Europe when Kalle sold the car to Peter Haverton of Sweden. Not long after, the car was sold to another Swede, who placed it in the Drottningholm Collection, where the restoration first began at Rohdins Automobilservice in Trollhandauml;ttan. Fast forward to 1992, the car had disappeared to Germany and started a restoration at Kong. The new owner, a Dr. Harald Alfers, had disassembled the car and was just starting to put it back together when Mr. Kemp found him. After admitting that he was searching for an authentic chassis, negotiations started. They would continue until 1995 when Mr. Kemp was finally able to secure the unfinished project for himself, while also establishing a relationship with a new carrosseie to finish the custom Special Roadster body. Franz Prahl Klassische Automobile GmbH and Co. KG was responsible for the completion of engine, chassis, body and interior and documented this process in great detail and with many pictures. The final receipt of purchase was dated January 13th, 1999 and the car was to be finished before the beginning of the new millennium but as with many projects of this magnitude, there were delays in the completion of certain tasks. The car was finally finished in June of 2000, where it was test driven and any post-restoration bugs were worked out. It was