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 couldn't 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 Karlstr�m 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 Trollh�ttan.
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
d'Elegance, 2008 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, 2009 Ault Park
COncours d'Elegance (Awarded Jack O'Conner trophy for Best Style &
Elegance) 2009 Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance (awarded for
"Automotive Design Excellence"), 2010 Meadow Brook Concours
d'Elegance and the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance (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 marque's 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 car's 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. The vehicle is quite
literally ready for any driving or concours event and would even be
up for a nice afternoon of cruising. 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 500Ks�pushing
over�eight 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!