1934 Mercedes Benz 500 K Tourer by Mayfair

1934 Mercedes Benz 500 K Tourer by Mayfair
Sold for $825,000 Including Commission
Chassis no. 123689
Engine no. 123689
Commission no. 207792
100/180 bhp, 4,984 cc overhead-valve supercharged inline eight-cylinder engine, four-speed manual gearbox, double-wishbone independent front suspension with coil springs, swing-axle rear suspension with coil springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes with vacuum assist. Wheelbase: 129.5 in.
An extremely sporting 500 K
Unique British custom coachwork
Long-term enthusiast ownership
Accompanied by copies of its Daimler-Benz build sheets
In a story typical of the Classic Era, in the world’s darkest economic times, Mercedes-Benz succeeded in outdoing itself with ever-grander, more sophisticated, and more expensive automobiles. The new generation that arrived in 1933, courtesy of engineer Hans Nibel, boasted an overhead-valve eight-cylinder engine and all-independent suspension, which had double wishbones and coil springs in the front and coil-sprung spring axles in the rear. This eventually evolved into the 500 K, a titan, which, with its Roots-type supercharger engaged, produced 180 screaming brake horsepower and the magic that resulted.
Autocar tested a 500 K and clocked a then-remarkable 0–60 mph time of 16.5 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h, with the blower letting out its “almost demoniacal howl.” Motor, meanwhile, enthused, “Here is a massive ‘unbreakable’ car capable of traveling indefinitely at high speed.”
It seems unusual that only a few years before the two countries would engage in war, a German automobile would find itself dressed in fine British coachwork, but with reviews like that lying around the United Kingdom’s studies and clubs, who could resist?
Chassis 123689 was ordered under commission number 207792, and its Daimler-Benz build sheet, a copy of which accompanies the car, records its delivery by Norwich dealer Mann Egerton to Sir Everard Talbot Scarisbrick, 2nd Baronet. Sir Everard inherited the family seat of Scarisbrick Hall, an imposing country home in the Lancashire countryside, where he lived with the Mercedes-Benz, an SS Jaguar 100, and a Coachcraft-bodied Hudson, among other treasures. Michael Frostick’s well-known reference, The Mighty Mercedes, records the delivery of the Mercedes to Scarisbrick in July 1935, with registration BYU 150 and the notation of “British coachwork.”
This Mercedes is a wonderfully sporty four-passenger tourer, and in all likelihood, it was inspired by the British sports cars Sir Everard was surrounded by and so admired. The open body was crafted by the Mayfair Carriage Company, of London, and it featured spectacular curves, with a “dip” in the beltline that was reminiscent of the Darrin-bodied Packards to come and similar to the famous bodies built by Mayfair for Alvis. The design also incorporates the classic 500 K “look” of an upright radiator and sweeping fenders. The result is a truly bespoke creation for an aristocratic, fastidious owner. An advertisement for the car by prominent London dealer Jack Bond in the November 1952 issue of Motor Sport notes that the body was installed on this chassis in 1939.
The history of the 500 K picks up in Albany, New York, in the early 1960s, when it was owned and displayed at local events by Arnold Dubb. The car is listed with Dubb in the 1967 CCCA Directory, and then it was acquired by David Cohen, a World War II pilot. At the time, it was painted its original British Racing Green, with an interior restored by Cohen in grapefruit pink, which was definitely an unusual combination.
The 500 K was acquired from Cohen for $5,000 by Dr. Henry A. Camperlengo, who lived on a farm near Albany. In a recent phone conversation, Dr. Camperlengo recalled that he owned the car until 1973, when well-known Mercedes-Benz connoisseurs Paul and Barbara Karassik saw the car, fell in love with it, and offered him a large sum of money that the doctor could not turn down.
After a brief spell back in England, the 500 K returned stateside, and in September 1992, it was acquired from Don Williams by the late Bill Lassiter. Lassiter’s renowned stable included many of the finest automobiles from virtually all decades of manufacture, with a focus on what Car Collector magazine referred to as “he-man cars” of power and quality. All of these cars were well maintained and many were regularly driven. This car remained in the Lassiter Collection until its sale in 1999 to the grandfather of the present owner. It has remained in their family’s collection for 15 years, seldom shown and never before offered for sale, until now.
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Robert Myrick Photography