1993 Classic Roadsters 500K Replica

• Tribute to one of the most desirable high-performance cars of the 1930s
• 5.0L V8 engine
• Automatic transmission
• Present ownership since 2020

Sensation of the 1934 Berlin Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's legendary pre-war 500K supercar cost a small fortune when new, and today the genuine article commands a king's ransom running to millions of dollars, such is its rarity. The 1930s decade was a period of unprecedented fertility in motor car styling, of which the sublime 500K represented the very pinnacle of excellence. Its timeless appeal endures to this day.

The 500K, which boasted a ingenious swing-axle independent rear suspension, was created by engineer Hans Nibel, who had started with Benz in the early years of the 20th Century. The supercharged road-going models of the 1930s are a wonderful tribute to his engineering skills. Together with its successor the 540K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 500K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. The 500K was powered by a 5,018cc overhead-valve supercharged straight-eight engine that featured the company's famous Roots-type supercharger system in which pressing the accelerator pedal to the end of its travel would simultaneously engage the compressor and close off the alternative atmospheric intake to the carburettor. This system had been thoroughly proven on the preceding series of Dr Porsche-conceived S-Type cars, and in effect the 500/540K was the last supercharged production Mercedes until relatively recent times.

Fortunately for those unable to afford the real thing, in the 500K's case - and that of many other long-dead exotic automobiles - sufficient interest exists to support a thriving replica-building industry. It is not recorded which manufacturer was responsible for this 500K replica, however research online appears to show the body as matching those built by Classic Roadsters of North Dakota, which is described on the V5C document as 'kit built/converted – assembled from parts all of which may not be new' and registered as a 'Mercedes Sports'. The engine capacity is listed as 4,950cc. The car also comes with two expired MoTs and sundry bills for parts, etc from Superspoke Ltd of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire dating from 2015 and totalling some £13,575