1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Kombination Roadster

Lot details
Registration No: 246 UXT
Chassis No: 123699
Mot Expiry: June 2006

Introduced at the March 1934 Berlin Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz 500K (or W29 as it was known internally) was the brainchild of technical director Dr Hans Nibel. A former racing driver turned master engineer whose past credits included the mighty 200HP Blitzen Benz and fearsome Mercedes-Benz S / SS / SSK / SSKL series (on which he had collaborated with Ferdinand Porsche), his commitment to a unified design philosophy meant that the marque's fastest road car - the 500K / W29, had a surprising amount in common with its epoch-making 'Silver Arrow' Grand Prix Racer sibling - the W25 (unveiled just a few months earlier). Admittedly poles apart in terms of execution, the two were thus based around low-slung box-section chassis equipped with all-round coil-sprung independent suspension (double-wishbone front / swing-axle rear), high-efficiency hydraulic drum brakes and supercharged straight-eight powerplants.

Ushering in a new generation of extremely luxurious and disarmingly quick tourers capable of sustained high-speed cruising, the 500K was powered by a 5 litre OHV engine. Tuned for torque rather than horsepower, it was quoted as developing a lazy 100bhp @ 3,200rpm in normally aspirated form but an altogether more spirited 160bhp with its double-vane Roots type blower engaged (a process which involved the driver depressing the accelerator pedal beyond a set pressure point). Given that the later 540K was widely credited with a force fed 180bhp and 318lbft of torque, it seems likely that peak torque was approximately 300lbft (though, official figures remain frustratingly elusive).

Fed by a double updraught carburettor of in-house manufacture, the towering M24 straight-eight was allied to a robust four-speed manual gearbox that boasted synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears (the latter ratio effectively acting as an 'overdrive' for autostrada / autobahn motoring). Impressed by the model's excellent roadholding and handling not to mention its 100mph top speed, Autocar magazine summed-up the 500K as "a master car for the very few". Praising its refinement, the publication also commented that "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".

Benefiting from power assistance, the W29's suitably large four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes gave occupants a more than sporting chance of avoiding contact with slower vehicles (very few road cars could reach 100mph in 1934), while the provision of transverse-mounted coil-springs to the base of the rear swing-axle assembly brought a welcome extra dose of stability. Built at Mercedes-Benz's Unterturkheim plant (more commonly associated with the company's research and development activities) to exceptionally high standards, the 500K range could be had with a wide variety of open and closed bodystyles courtesy of factory coachbuilders Sindelfingen. Only listed for two years total 500K production has been put at between 342 and 354 units.

Reputedly one of just twenty or so Mercedes-Benz 500K cars to have been bodied by a British coachbuilder, this particular example (commission number 211928) was ordered new by William 'Willy' Henry Rhodes-Moorhouse son of William 'Will' Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse the first man to be awarded a Victoria Cross for aerial combat. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge, Rhodes-Moorhouse Senior was fascinated by all things mechanical. Thus, he is alleged to have spent a memorable portion of his university days roaring around in a 90hp Grand Prix FIAT nicknamed 'Linda'. Graduating to aeroplanes shortly thereafter, he 'barnstormed' his way across America with fellow pilot James Radley before winning the San Francisco Harbour Prize in 1910. Runner-up in the following year's London Aerial Derby, Rhodes-Moorhouse Senior was well known to the likes of the Wright Brothers, Louis Bleriot and Gustave Hamel. Joining the Royal Flying Corps at the outbreak of World War I, he completed a number of daring raids until succumbing to enemy fire during a particularly dangerous sub 300ft bombing run over Courtai, Belgium on 26th April 1915.

Anxious to follow in his father's illustrious footsteps, Rhodes-Moorhouse Junior commuted betwixt Eton College and Heston Aerodrome by bicycle until he gained his pilot's licence in 1930 aged all of sixteen. Independently wealthy (the Rhodes-Moorhouse family owned a sizeable chunk of New Zealand), he commissioned Windovers of London to sculpt what is arguably one of the most extravagant and beautiful bodies ever to grace a supercharged Mercedes-Benz. Better known for their work on Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis, the renowned coachbuilder (founded by Charles Sandford Windover in 1760) created a shape so sensuous as to bear comparison with the ex-Jack Warner 540K Spezial Roadster or ex-Count Trossi SSK Roadster.

Bonnet sides and radiator grille apart, the Windovers Kombination Roadster is awash with bespoke detailing. Redolent of the floats worn by the Schneider Trophy winning Supermarine S6B seaplane, its fabulous pontoon wings carry elegant spats to the rear (complete with raised 'speeding teardrop' blisters and iconic three-pointed star badging). The focus of its well-appointed 2+2 interior, the trademark mother of pearl dashboard houses a cream-faced speedometer calibrated to 140mph. Trimmed in sumptuous tan leather upholstery, the shape of the rich wood veneer door cappings echoes that of the voluptuous swage line which arcs slowly downwards to a decadently flat tail. Luggage - clearly not a Rhodes Moorhouse Junior priority - is housed in a hinged compartment that sits behind the hood well (the 'boot' being dedicated to the spare wheel).

First registered in London during December 1935 as 'CLB 858', Rhodes-Moorhouse Junior took delivery of his one-off Roadster the following month. As befitted a car with such wonderful styling, the 500K was - twin side exiting exhaust pipes aside - conspicuously free of brightwork. Even its steeply raked opening windscreen wore a simple chrome surround. Sadly history does not relate whether Rhodes-Moorhouse Junior drove the magnificent Mercedes to Bavaria when he competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics (an accomplished ski-jumper his love of flying was not restricted to aeroplanes). Becoming a member of the prestigious RAF 601 'Millionaires' Squadron a year later, the jaw dropping 500K must have allowed him to cut quite a dash even amongst such exulted company.

Nevertheless, he seems to have had little opportunity to enjoy the Kombination Roadster once World War Two broke out in September 1939. Entrusted with the controls of a Bristol Blenheim for the famous Borkham Raid of November 1939 (the conflict's first fighter / bomber attack), he switched to Hawker Hurricanes along with the rest of 601 squadron in January 1940. Playing a valuable role during the ensuing Battle of Britain, he became recognised as a Hurricane 'Ace' and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross in August that year. Accompanied by his wingman Carl Davis (another 601 member), the pair took off from Hornchurch on September 6th 1940 only to be shot down and killed over Kent by marauding Messerschmitt ME109s.

Buried alongside his father at the family estate in Dorset, it is unclear whether Rhodes-Moorhouse Junior had parted with the 500K before that fateful September day. Though, the presence of a 'Performance Cars Ltd - The Sports Car People' plaque on its nearside glovebox lid argues that it may have changed hands either immediately pre- or post-WW2. However, by 1973 the Mercedes was in the possession of the famous Austrian glass manufacturer Werner Lutzky who opened his own private museum at the Schloss Kremsegg Castle in Kremsmunster. Reportedly treated to a "complete mechanical and body restoration" in the mid 1980s, the Kombination Roadster remained on static display until early the following decade when financial difficulties saw the museum taken over by Herr Lutzky's bank. Subsequently sold to another Austrian collector, it entered the current ownership a few years later.

Some two decades on from its refurbishment, this illustrious supercharged Mercedes-Benz remains highly presentable. Resplendent in gloss black, the liquid-like sheen of its paintwork is punctuated by handsome Bosch lighting and understated chrome bumpers. Starting readily upon inspection, the past few months have seen it UK registered as '246 UXT' and subjected to a road test by Classic & Sportscar magazine. Riding on seventeen-inch wire wheels shod with Michelin 'double-rivet' tyres, it is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until February 2007. A truly exceptional specimen of one of the all time greats, history and beauty are rarely so well matched.

PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle has an MOT certificate until June 2006.