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1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Boat Tail Returns to Its Place of Birth

UK’s Concours of Elegance at the Hampton Court Palace this August will mark the return of a very unique car to the British Isles: the one-of-a-kind 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Boat Tail.
1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Boat Tail 5 photos
Photo: www.concoursofelegance.co.uk
1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Boat Tail
Built as a one-off car by British coachbuilder Barker, the car is underpinned by a 1927 Mercedes Typ S. At the time of its conception, the Boat Tail was one of the most powerful road-going automobiles in the world: the car was powered by a 7.0-liter supercharged straight six.

But that was perhaps the least of the impressive features making up the car. Initially owned by British Racing Drivers’ Club co-founder Francis Curzon (Earl Howe), the model has stunned audiences in several tours, trials, and competition events over the years.

What catches the eye of onlookers is the body of the Mercedes, hand-formed in aluminum and boasting a unique front-end and the Curzon Blue color on the rear section.

The car to be shown in the UK this August is the same that won the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance’s Best in Show title last year.

According to the organizers of the event, the Boat Tail has been restored following a multi-year project by its current owner. The restoration was needed after some previous American owners had repainted it in dark maroon and modified the unique rear of the car.

The restoration has been allegedly done based on photographs of the original vehicle. The restoration includes the addition of a red spotlight, the signature of the British Parliament’s members, to whom Curzon belonged to. Now, the owners say, the car looks like it did when Curzon first took delivery of it.

Although it started its life in the UK, the car has not been on British soil since 1958, when it was sold to American owners. Now the model is in possession of collector Bruce McCaw of Bellevue, Washington.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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