Legacy Metrics

1929 Mercedes-Benz SS (710 Super Sport) with Corsica Coachworks roadster body

36036roadGermany
Engine
7.1L supercharged straight-six, up to 300 PS with supercharger engaged
Colour
Black (period); later repainted white

A Mercedes-Benz SS (chassis 36036), one of 111 built at Untertürkheim, delivered in October 1929 with an original Martin Walter body subsequently replaced by a bespoke Corsica Coachworks roadster body after accident damage. Its first owner is believed to have been racing driver Thomas 'Scrap' Thistlethwayte. The car passed through notable British and American hands, achieving a world auction record of $320,000 in 1979, and has been recognised at Pebble Beach — earning a class prize in 1981 and the Chairman's Trophy in 1997 — and received Best of Show by Public Referendum at the 1999 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.

Ownership

  1. Auction sale
    Sold €2,761,250 (≈ $3.04M)

    RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →

  2. 1929-08-15 → 1929-10-25Factory delivery
    Gordon Watney (via British Mercedes-Benz Ltd)
    full documentation

    Mayfair-based dealer who ordered the chassis through the British Mercedes-Benz distributor; the car left the factory in bare chassis form before coachwork was fitted.

  3. 1929-11-25 →Private sale
    Thomas Thistlethwayte
    partial documentation

    Former Bentley Boy who switched allegiance to Mercedes-Benz late in his racing career; had hoped this car would arrive in time for the RAC Tourist Trophy but retired from racing that season.

  4. 1934-09-08 →Acquisition unknown
    Clifford Taylor
    full documentation

    Berkeley Square dealer and part-time film producer who re-registered the car and arranged its appearance at Brooklands for an Ealing Studios production.

  5. 1938-11-17 → 1959Acquisition unknown
    Ewart Bradshaw
    full documentation

    Wealthy Lancashire businessman with multiple automotive dealerships; the engine is believed to have been replaced with a 680 S unit during his ownership. Bradshaw died in 1959.

  6. 1959 → 1963Inheritance
    Bradshaw's son
    partial documentation

    Inherited the car after his father's death; corresponded in September 1962 regarding the car's sale at £1,500.

  7. 1963-05-01 → 1979-02-01Private sale
    ML 'Bud' Cohn
    full documentation

    Prominent Mercedes-Benz collector based in Los Angeles; had the car repainted white with a red interior. The car was a centrepiece of his collection until his estate sale.

  8. 1979-02-01 →Auction
    Skip Berg
    partial documentation

    Purchased at the Cohn estate auction for a then-world-record hammer price of $320,000; entered the car at Pebble Beach in 1981.

  9. → 1990Acquisition unknown
    Skip Barber
    partial documentation

    Owned the car in the late 1980s before selling it to a Swedish collector.

  10. 1990 → 1998-10-01Private sale
    Kent Olsson
    full documentation

    Swedish collector who commissioned a seven-year mechanical and cosmetic restoration by TE Berrisford; showed the completed car at Pebble Beach in 1997.

  11. 1998-10-01 →Acquisition unknown
    Aumann Collection
    partial documentation

    During this custodianship a further cosmetic restoration returned the car to its period colour scheme; the car was exhibited at multiple concours events including Villa d'Este 1999.

  12. Date unknownPrivate sale
    Colonel Samuel Sandars
    partial documentation

    Military Cross recipient based in Lincolnshire; acquired the car from Taylor.

  13. Date unknownAcquisition unknown
    Leland Gohlike
    none documentation

    Intermediary through whom the car passed between Berg and Goodwin.

  14. Date unknownPrivate sale
    David Goodwin
    partial documentation

Competition

  1. 1929
    RAC Tourist Trophy
    Driver: Thomas Thistlethwaytedid not start

    The car was expected to be delivered in time for this event but arrival was delayed; Thistlethwayte subsequently retired from racing.

  2. 1934
    Brooklands filming appearance (Death Drives Through)

    The car appeared at Brooklands circuit as part of an Ealing Studios film production arranged by owner Clifford Taylor; this is a filming appearance rather than a competitive event.

  3. 1981
    1981 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
    2nd in class

    Entered by owner Skip Berg.

  4. 1997
    1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
    Chairman's Trophy

    First major concours appearance after the seven-year Berrisford restoration was completed under Kent Olsson's ownership.

  5. 1999
    1999 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
    Best of Show by Public Referendum

    Shown during the Aumann Collection period following a cosmetic restoration to period colours.

Maintenance & restoration

  1. 1990Restoration
    TE Berrisford

    Comprehensive restoration carried out over approximately seven years, commissioned by Kent Olsson.

    Work completed around 1997, after which the car was presented at Pebble Beach.

  2. Bodywork

    Car repainted white with a red interior fitted by ML 'Bud' Cohn after it arrived in Los Angeles.

  3. Bodywork

    A further cosmetic restoration was undertaken to return the car to its period colour scheme, carried out during the Aumann Collection's ownership.

  4. Bodywork
    Corsica Coachworks

    Original Martin Walter coachwork replaced with a new Corsica Coachworks roadster body, believed to have been prompted by rear-end accident damage.

  5. Modification

    The original engine was replaced with a unit carrying a 680 S series number, believed to have occurred while the car was in Lancashire during Bradshaw's ownership.

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Each chassis record is compiled from public auction archives and links to its source material. Ownership, competition and maintenance entries are extracted from those catalogue listings by an LLM, which can make mistakes — please contact us with any corrections. The summary is Legacy Metrics’ own writing; we do not reproduce catalogue text.

“Full” and “partial” documentation labels indicate how well each entry is corroborated in the underlying sources, not an audit of the car’s physical paperwork. Names of recent or living owners are withheld for privacy.