1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet by HJ Mulliner

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet Coachwork by HJ Mulliner

Sensation of the 1934 Berlin Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's legendary pre-war 500 K supercar cost a small fortune when new and today is one of the most coveted collectors' motor cars. The 1930s decade was a period of unprecedented fertility in motor car styling, of which the sublime 500 K represented the very pinnacle of excellence. Its timeless appeal endures to this day.

The 500 K, 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 540 K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 500 K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. The 500 K 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 K /540 K was the last supercharged production Mercedes until relatively recent times.

Beneath its seemingly endless bonnet, the 500 K'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 super¬charged Mercedes was one of the few genuine 100mph road cars available in the 1930s.

Although the 500 K/540 K chassis attracted the attention of the world's pre-eminent bespoke coachbuilders of the day, the company's own Sindelfingen coachwork left little room for improvement. The factory cabriolet came in a variety of styles: Cabriolet A, B, C and D with desirability generally in that order. 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 500 K reveals its exclusive nature: 105 being produced in 1934, 190 in 1935 and 59 in 1936 making a total of only 354 cars. 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.

Descriptions & pictures by bonhams