1928 Mercedes-Benz 630K Sports Tourer by Sindelfingen

1928 Mercedes-Benz 630K Sports Tourer by Sindelfingen

At the end of The Great War, both Daimler and Benz went back to producing cars. Trading conditions in the early 1920s though, were extremely difficult: the War had left Germany's economy in ruins and there was rampant inflation. Of the 86 German car factories operating in 1924, only 19 were in existence three years later. If the two great rivals were to survive, it would have to be in partnership. On 1st July 1926, Daimler and Benz completed their merger, the two companies having paved the way with a technical co-operation agreement in 1924. By this time, Paul Daimler, founder Gottlieb's son and the company's Chief Engineer, had moved to Horch, his place being taken by Professor Ferdinand Porsche. Like his predecessor, Porsche was an advocate of forced induction and although he would leave Daimler-Benz in 1928, his legacy was a range of supercharged Mercedes motor cars that are the stuff of legend.

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft had introduced the world's first supercharged production cars, the 6/25/40hp and 10/40/65hp four-cylinder models, at the 1921 Berlin Automobile Show. (The three figures refer to nominal rated horsepower, horsepower un-blown and horsepower with blower engaged respectively). On his arrival early in 1923, Porsche busied himself further developing the blown four and eight-cylinder racers designed by Paul Daimler, and the 15/70/100hp and 24/100/140hp supercharged, six-cylinder production models that would debut at the Berlin Automobile Show in 1924. After the 1926 merger these were reclassified as types 400 and 630. That same year a 'K' (Kurz = Short) version became available for the first time, on a wheelbase reduced from 12' 4" to 11' 2" (3,750 to 3,400mm). Displacing 6.3 litres, the 630K's single-overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine produced a mighty 140PS (138bhp) with the Roots supercharger engaged (by pressing the throttle pedal to the floor) and in this specification the 630K could justifiably claim to be the world's fastest production touring car, with a top speed of over 90mph (145km/h).

Descriptions & pictures by bonhams & flickr