1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Offener Tourenwagen
- Engine
- 5.0L supercharged straight-eight OHV, Roots-type supercharger, 100 bhp normally aspirated or 160 bhp supercharged
A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Offener Tourenwagen, chassis 209421, one of only 16 sporting open tourenwagen bodies built on the 500K platform. Discovered on a Munich sales lot in 1951 by American aviator and collector Dr. Ralph W.E. Cox Jr., who drove it to Paris and shipped it home to New Jersey, where it spent decades on display at his Frontier Village Museum before moving to the Museum of Automobiles in Arkansas. Following a 2014 auction dispersal of the Cox collection, the car underwent a thorough refurbishment and subsequently won a prize at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in the pre-war Mercedes-Benz class.
Ownership
- 2020-08-14Auction saleEstimate US$2,000,000 – US$2,500,000
- → 1951Mr. Unholzerpartial documentation
Previous owner from whom Dr. Cox purchased the car while on a Munich sales lot in 1951.
- 1951 → 2014Private saleDr. Ralph W.E. Cox Jr.full documentation
American aviator and dentist who acquired the car in Munich and drove it to Le Havre for shipment to New Jersey. The car was housed for many years at the Frontier Village Museum at Cape May County Airport, then transferred to the Museum of Automobiles in Arkansas after a mid-1990s restoration by his son-in-law.
- → 2014Acquisition unknownMuseum of Automobiles, Petit Jean Mountainpartial documentation
Arkansas museum where the car was displayed publicly until the Cox Collection dispersal in 2014.
- 2014 →AuctionNotable Mercedes-Benz marque collectorpartial documentation
Acquired at the Bonhams Scottsdale sale in 2014 and subsequently commissioned an extensive refurbishment culminating in the car's appearance at Pebble Beach in 2015.
Competition
- 20152015 Pebble Beach Concours d'ElegancePrize-winning entry
Car exhibited in the pre-war Mercedes-Benz class following completion of a full refurbishment; described as winning a prize against strong competition.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2014Restoration
Extensive refurbishment undertaken after the 2014 auction sale, bringing the car to a high concours standard as subsequently displayed at Pebble Beach.
Commissioned by the current owner following acquisition at the Bonhams Scottsdale dispersal sale.
- —Restoration
A sympathetic in-house restoration carried out by Dr. Cox's son-in-law, returning the car to reasonable order.
Took place in the mid-1990s while the car was still part of the Cox collection.
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