A Mercedes-Benz 500 K Offener Tourenwagen from 1934 with a dark history will be up for auction on April 7th at the Estate of Mark Smith Auction, courtesy of Gooding & Company. The 500 K was a high-performance model, comparable to the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 of today, built on the 770 K chassis and equipped with a supercharger. Its two-door open-top body was handcrafted by the coachbuilders at Sindelfingen, a facility that exclusively deals with high-end Mercedes to this day.
Out of only five remaining examples, this particular 500 K has been in possession of its previous owner for 50 years and has been showcased at prestigious car events like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. However, the car's origins are tainted by its connection to Rudolf Hess, a prominent member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, who was later named the Deputy Fuhrer by his friend Adolf. Although Hess was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Soviets after Berlin's fall, his car was not associated with his crimes. Instead, the US military took hold of the vehicle and drove it around until their departure, after which an anonymous American GI brought it over to the US in 1945.
The car's ownership trail went cold after that, but by 1955, V. Link Milsark of Vienna, West Virginia, was listed as the owner of the car, which was registered with the Classic Car Club of America but was never exhibited publicly. In 2005, Mark Smith purchased the car, and it has remained with his estate until the upcoming auction.
This matching numbers car is in original condition and has never undergone any restoration besides essential maintenance. Only the seat bottoms have been replaced, while the rest of the interior is original. The car won the Amelia Award in the 500 K/540 K category in 2019.
The 500 K is powered by a 5,018-cc inline-eight engine with a single updraft carburetor and a roots-type supercharger, producing 160 horsepower. Furthermore, the front suspension is an independent double wishbone and coil-spring setup, which was an impressive feature during its time.
Gooding & Co. has listed the car without reserve, but it is estimated to sell for $1,250,000-$1,750,000.
The auction will take place at the Estate of Mark Smith on 7 April.
Source: Carbuzz