Engine block serial no.

102401.59
Vanvooren body no.

2933

• One-off, matching numbers
• One of only 18 W29 coupés built
• One of only a handful of W29 built with French coachwork
• Delivered new to Paris, France
• Present ownership since 1959
• Formerly on display in the Musée de l'Automobile Jean Tua, Geneva
• Outstandingly original

Sensation of the 1934 Berlin Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's legendary pre-war 500K supercar cost a small fortune when new and today commands a king's ransom, 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 original name of the model, 'Typ 500 mit Kompressor', was later shortened to '500K').

Beneath its seemingly endless bonnet, the 500K's eight-cylinder engine developed 100bhp un-supercharged or 160bhp with the compressor engaged.

The car had a top speed approaching 110mph (177km/h).

Aft...