Vehicle Description
Genuine 500K Chassis restored and rebodied by Franz Prahl! Now
sporting the highest quality Special Roadster coachwork! Absolutely
stunning in every way with Concours provenance! A must see for both
Mercedes-Benz and classic car collectors! 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 couldnt 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 Karlstrm 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 Trollhttan. 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 & 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 appraised at 2,000,000 deutsche marks
before Mr. Kemp briefly toured Germany in it and then sent it
stateside. It cleared customs on September 1st and arrived in St.
Louis two weeks later. Since restoration, it has been proudly
displayed at many prominent shows and concours events that include
but are not limited to: 2001 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance, 2008
Amelia Island Concours dElegance, 2009 Ault Park COncours dElegance
(Awarded Jack OConner trophy for Best Style & Elegance) 2009 Hilton
Head Concours dElegance (awarded for Automotive Design Excellence),
2010 Meadow Brook Concours dElegance and the 2012 Amelia Island
Concours dElegance (awarded the John North Trophy for Best New
Coachwork or Recreation/First in Class). For over ten years, this
500 K Special Roadster has been the "crown jewel" display at the
Kemp Auto Museum until the museum closed in June of 2015. Along
with several other dozen collectible antique Benzes, this was
perhaps one of the most interesting looks into the marques
history,receiving positive reviews from both well-studied purveyors
as well as the average old car enthusiasts. Today, the car presents
just as it was restored. It will show only the most minor wear from
occasional use and is nothing short of Concours-ready! All
Mercedes-Benz markings and stamps are visible and in line with
production dates in the first part of 1935. The engine and chassis
numbers match and enough of the cars history is known to paint a
picture of the ownership timeline . Included with the car is a box
of labeled folders with receipts, history, documentation,
correspondence, concours invites and photographs documenting the
car in graphic detail from 1992. Each of the photos below of
documentation is from a different year from 1992-2000. Even the
most discerning enthusiasts will find it hard to fault the amounts
of records, from the earliest restoration receipts that are now
well over 20 years old, to the 100+ photos taken by Prahl of the
most minute restoration details. It becomes immediately clear that
the craftsmanship was at least as finite as that of the original
fabricators in Sindelfingen. The painstaking attention to detail
resulted in a ground-up refurbishment and restoration that cost
upward of $1.5 million. Showing only 1369 kilometers (~851 miles)
since restoration, this 500K has been driven enough to get all
post-restoration bugs worked out. Today, the vehiclewill need mild
tuning to beready for any driving or concours event as it has been
on display for several years with limited exercise. This car
presents a very unique opportunity to own not only one of the most
beautiful Mercedes-Benz models but also one of the most stunning
pre-war cars, and one that has made many most beautiful cars of all
time lists. The car is eligible for almost any prestigious car
collecting event and is among the most top-notch CCCA full classics
that money will buy. With prices of the remaining 500Kspushing
overeight figures in price, it is our opinion that this is a
fantastic entry into the automobile collecting elite. In addition
to the 200+ pictures, we would be thrilled to answer any additional
questions you may have on this exquisite automobile and would
encourage interested parties to call with additional questions!
Thank you for taking the time to look!