Lot 132, 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Sports Roadster. Coachwork by Sindelfingen. Chassis no. 130857. Engine no. 101240011.44 130857. Estimate €3.5 million - 4.5 million (£2.7 million - 3.5 million). Photo: Bonhams.

5,018cc OHV Supercharged Inline 8-Cylinder Engine
100bhp or 160bhp with Supercharger Engaged
4-speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension 
4-Wheel Servo-Assisted Hydraulic Drum Brakes

Exquisite and rare coachwork by Sindelfingen
One of only 7 to 12 cars to this configuration
Matching numbers example 
Fitted with the very rare flat windshield
High-quality restoration that presents well

THE MERCEDES-BENZ 500 K

Designed for the network of high-speed Autobahns that was spreading across Germany in the 1930s, the Mercedes-Benz 500 K represented the ultimate in automotive engineering in its day. Technically, it was fitted with all-round independent suspension by swing axles and an unusual gearshift, with the direct drive top semi-automatically engaged. The unique system of supercharging used by Mercedes-Benz was derived from the company's experience in aero-engine design, where a system of "at will" supercharging had enabled World War I German aircraft to gain a performance advantage by boosting engine power at altitude.

Uniquely, the Mercedes supercharger was only clutched in at full throttle, rather like the "kick-down" on an automatic transmission, to give a short power boost for overtaking. Few experiences in motoring can match the sound and fury of a supercharged Mercedes-Benz in full flight: "One's foot goes hard down, and an almost demoniacal howl comes in...the rev counter and speedometer needles leap round their dials: there is perhaps no other car noise in the world so distinctive as that produced by the Mercedes supercharger," wrote H.S. Linfield of The Autocar in 1936.

The straight-eight 5,018 cc 500 K, which was a development of the supercharged Kompressor line that had begun with the 380K of 1932, was an exclusive and powerful model for an equally exclusive and powerful clientele. Developed by chief engineer of Mercedes-Benz, former racing driver Dr. Hans Nibel, the 500 K was introduced in 1934, and only 354 chassis were built of all styles before the model was superseded by the 540 K.

THE MOTOR CAR OFFERED

While the 500 K chassis was offered to the trade, factory coachwork by Sindelfingen remained popular due to its quality and beauty. As fitted to chassis 130857, the Sport Roadster, later called the Normal Roadster, was the direct antecedent of the famous Spezial Roadster. According to marque expert Jan Melin, Sindelfingen built a mere 7 to 12 Sport Roadsters, all slightly different, and with only a couple of them fitted with a flat windshield for a true sporting look.

According to the Mercedes-Benz classic archives, 130857 was delivered to Mercedes-Benz London on 2 July 1936, likely as the RHD example it is today, although the commission book does not specifically mention this. First owner was a Phillip Lucas, to whom it was first registered in April 1937 with the number DLK694. At some point the car came to the USA, and in the 1970s it was in Florida. In 1989, chassis 130857 came to Sweden in the collection of Hans Thulin and was displayed at the Stockholm Technical Museum alongside Thulin's Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupé. After Thulin's bankruptcy, the collection was broken up, and by 1991 the car was back in the USA. It was acquired by the present owner in the mid-1990s
Resplendent in deep, glossy red paint, complemented by a tasteful interior upholstered in beige leather, which offsets the exquisite dashboard perfectly, this car is the quintessential expression of a 1930s Mercedes Kompressor Sports Car. The flowing wings and flamboyant external exhausts epitomize the technical prowess of the Third Reich, while the lean and slinky lines make it clear that some objects of enduring beauty were still being created in Germany, even as the Nazi regime was hurtling the world towards all-out War. This beautifully presented car offers a rare opportunity of entering into that legend. 

Bonhams. THE MERCEDES-BENZ SALE, 14:30 CET - STUTTGART, MERCEDES-BENZ MUSEUM 

Lot 132, 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Sports Roadster. Coachwork by Sindelfingen. Chassis no. 130857. Engine no. 101240011.44 130857. Estimate €3.5 million - 4.5 million (£2.7 million - 3.5 million). Photo: Bonhams.