This Mercedes 500K Special Roadster will try to find a new owner at Bonhams’ Chantilly sale in France on September 3. The model is in ‘magnificent condition’ and could snatch up to €7 million($7.75 million). The German automaker only ever made 29 units of this timeless artpiece, and the unit offered at auction has an interesting story. At the end of the Second World War this car are hidden on the estate of a German industrialist Hans Prym and then discovered by Allied troops.
Mercedes 500K Special Roadster
In 1945, Prym ended up in prison, and his car in the United States. He remained there for a full 66 years, until 2011 when a Dutch car enthusiast took ownership for £2.9 million (about $3.7 million).
The story becomes interesting after Frans van Hare decided shortly after buying this car to display it at an event in Essen, Germany. There, the 500K Special Roadster was taken in custody by the authorities because the grandchildren of Mr Prym claimed the vehicle was stolen from the rightful owner – alleging the family still had legal ownership.
Mercedes 500K Special Roadster
The case was resolved in court, and the epilogue is that in 2012 the Prym family got the car back because the court in Hamburg decided that the Allies didn’t have the right to take the car and to transfer him to the United States. Now the family has decided to sell the car which will be offered by Bonhams auction house.
Mercedes 500K Special Roadster
Mercedes 500K Special Roadster
