Perhaps the last place one would expect to find an early Mercedes once advertised as 'The Car of Kings' is at Isis Downs, an isolated sheep station in Queensland, Australia.

Nevertheless, that is where this 5.3-litre shaft-drive car resided for many of its early years, serving as the Station Manager's car from 1914 and remaining on the property until the mid-1930s.

The Mercedes was constantly exposed to the harsh conditions of the Australian outback where early cars suffered numerous mechanical failures.

The rough terrain would soon expose any weakness in a vehicle, with common problems including broken axles and persistent issues with the perishable Edwardian tyres and wooden artillery wheels.

However, those brands whose cars were built with the quality to withstand the rigours of rural life, like Mercedes and Rolls-Royce, became favoured by wealthy landowners.

We have Emil Jellinek to thank for the existence of the 'Mercedes' marque.

Jellinek, a wealthy Leipzig-born merchant, w...