Photo: Bonhams
Bonhams is preparing for another auction, and The Chantilly Sale in Paris will bring an extremely rare Mercedes-Benz on the block.
Auction experts believe this particular model will sell for something between five and seven million euros. The car in question is a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster, which has a story that is not featured by the famed auction house, but was tackled by multiple media outlets over the years and has returned with this example.
The car was originally bought by a German industrialist named Hans Prym, also known as The Zipper King. While the business person was imprisoned by the Allies, the vehicle was sent to the United States of America after World War II. Eventually, the car was acquired by a Dutch car enthusiast in 2011, for the equivalent of $3.7 million.
So far, so good, right? Well, wrong, because the vehicle was seized by German authorities when Frans van Haren, its Dutch owner, took it to Essen for the 2012 Techno Classica show as an exhibit. At the time, the action was linked to a claim made by a custodian who was acting in the name of the family of the vehicle’s original owner.
The heirs of the German industrialist argued that the owner did not sell the car, but the Mercedes was stolen by an American soldier in 1945, when the Allies conquered the city it resided in. As explained in 2012, the vehicle was seized upon arriving in Essen for the Techno Classica because it was the first time that the car was present on German territory.
Back in 2012, when this story first appeared, the 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster, out of which only 29 were ever built, was in the hands of German authorities. The inherent rarity of this model is further strengthened by the fact that it is a pre-WW II Mercedes-Benz, which also adds to its value.
A legal battle began, and its winner was the estate of “The Zipper King," as Bloomberg notes. The decision was against the Dutch collector, as the statute of limitations had not expired. If the vehicle had been kept in Germany over a 30-year period, it wouldn't have allowed a legal resale of the car.
The car was originally bought by a German industrialist named Hans Prym, also known as The Zipper King. While the business person was imprisoned by the Allies, the vehicle was sent to the United States of America after World War II. Eventually, the car was acquired by a Dutch car enthusiast in 2011, for the equivalent of $3.7 million.
So far, so good, right? Well, wrong, because the vehicle was seized by German authorities when Frans van Haren, its Dutch owner, took it to Essen for the 2012 Techno Classica show as an exhibit. At the time, the action was linked to a claim made by a custodian who was acting in the name of the family of the vehicle’s original owner.
The heirs of the German industrialist argued that the owner did not sell the car, but the Mercedes was stolen by an American soldier in 1945, when the Allies conquered the city it resided in. As explained in 2012, the vehicle was seized upon arriving in Essen for the Techno Classica because it was the first time that the car was present on German territory.
Back in 2012, when this story first appeared, the 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster, out of which only 29 were ever built, was in the hands of German authorities. The inherent rarity of this model is further strengthened by the fact that it is a pre-WW II Mercedes-Benz, which also adds to its value.
A legal battle began, and its winner was the estate of “The Zipper King," as Bloomberg notes. The decision was against the Dutch collector, as the statute of limitations had not expired. If the vehicle had been kept in Germany over a 30-year period, it wouldn't have allowed a legal resale of the car.
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