Mercedes-Benz 500K Autobahn-Kurier 1935

The very rare Mercedes-Benz 500K Autobahn-Kurier was named after the motorways built across Germany in the early 1930s. Mercedes used an unusual fastback body, enclosed rear wheel arches and curved rear glass.

It looked entirely different from the German manufacturer's existing range. Built in Stuttgart, it had an eight-cylinder engine of 5,401 cc producing 180 hp. Acceleration to 60 mph took only 15 seconds and top speed was 170 km/h.

The Mercedes-Benz 500K was first shown at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show. European high society welcomed it enthusiastically, and even rival manufacturers admired it. Historical accounts say only two examples were built. In 1935 a car with chassis number 130898 and a 5.4-litre engine was produced. It may have been the one Hitler sent to Iran as a gift to Shah Mohammad Reza before the Second World War. In 1939 the shah gave the car to his son as a wedding present, after which the trail of this 1935 Autobahn-Kurier goes cold.