The sensation of the 1934 Berlin Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz’s legendary 500 K supercar was the creation of the gifted engineer Dr. Hans Nibel. With its advanced chassis design and mighty 5-litre engine, the 500 K was one of the very few cars of the 1930s capable of achieving 100 mph on the open road. The “K” models employed a form of supercharging that was peculiarly Mercedes, with the supercharger being used as a top-end booster. Pushing the gas pedal to the floor engaged the train of gears that drove the Roots-type blower, unleashing 25 per cent more power and a banshee shriek. It was an impressive and unnerving performance used as a short-term expedient for brief bursts of overtaking.
“Without the supercharger, this is a quiet, docile carriage, the acceleration from low speeds being then quite mild. It will amble around town and along by-ways with scarcely a hint of its latent performance. Bring in the supercharger and it becomes another machine, with fierce acceleration,” declared H.S. Linfield, Road Test Editor of The Autocar, after driving a 500 K, which he summarized as “a master car for the very few; the sheer insolence of its great power affords an experience on its own”.
Although the 500 K/540 K chassis attracted the attention of many of the better quality bespoke coachbuilders of the day, Mercedes-Benz’s own Sindelfingen coachwork left little room for improvement and it can safely be argued its high quality had no peer.
The manufacturing record of the 500 K reveals its exclusive nature: no more than 105 were produced in 1934, 190 in 1935 and 59 in 1936. In recent times, the rarity, style and performance of these big supercharged Mercedes have made them – upon the few occasions they have come onto the open market – some of the most sought-after of all classic cars. They were the zenith of car manufacturing of their era, by the acknowledged finest-quality manufacturer of the day.
Mercedes-Benz purchase order number 209800 was delivered to the Daimler-Benz Hamburg branch on 12 October 1935, making chassis 113715 one of only 190 cars. Its convertible Cabriolet C style is the epitome of the large late 1930s supercharged Mercedes convertible conceived for long distance touring in all weather conditions. With its handsome two-tone red body over beige with red piping to the interior, it will cut a dashing figure in any collection of importance.
1935 Mercedes-Benz 500k Cabriolet C
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