AN incredible one-off 1930s Mercedes that was mysteriously found under a manure pile on an Ethiopian farm is going up for auction.
The 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K ‘Caracciola’ Special Coupe is being offered for sale by Sotheby’s.
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The auction has been hailed as an opportunity to acquire and freshly restore one of the most famous and desired of all Mercedes-Benzes.
Formerly owned by legendary California enthusiasts Dr. Milton Roth and ML “Bill” Post, it was last seen by the public since 1980.
Currently the vehicle is being offered without reserve and without a listing price.
It is named after Rudolf Caracciola, the first non-Italian to win the Mille Miglia.
Caracciola was the star of Mercedes-Benz’s Formula 1 team, occupying a position in the public eye akin to that of Lewis Hamilton.
At the wheel of the famed “Silver Arrows” he accumulated six German Grand Prix trophies, a record which still stands today.
He also scooped three European Driving Championships and three European Hillclimb Championships.
Driving a W125, he was clocked at 268.9 mph on the autobahn, still the fastest speed ever officially recorded on a public road.
Following this success Mercedes-Benz built him unique car creation on what was then their ultimate supercharged chassis.
The listing reads: “The design of the car was tailored specifically for Caracciola.
“Hence the somewhat taller but nonetheless well-balanced roofline and windshield, accommodating the driver’s height.
“The body sat at the end of an almost impossibly long, gorgeous hoodline.
“It and the fenders were unencumbered by awkward spare tyres.
“Instead, the spare hung at the rear, at the terminus of bold chromed accent lines that flowed to a point through the curve of the deck lid.
“It was a car that emphasised its power. It looked, in fact, like a racing car with a roofline, and that was almost certainly the idea.
“Befitting an automobile that Mercedes-Benz wanted people to see Caracciola drive to events all over Europe, it came with room for two passengers.
“It also had a luggage set aft of the seats—perfect for a weekend at Reims or Monza.
“Significantly, the build sheet clearly lists Caracciola as the receiving original owner, via the dealer in Paris.
“Caracciola posed with the car and Alfred Neubauer, manager of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix team, at Bremerhaven prior to embarking to America for the George Vanderbilt Cup.
“Further, the car is known to have been utilised in at least one Mercedes-Benz advertisement in-period. It was, like its driver, a star.
“It is believed that Caracciola used the car until the late 1930s, and that it was then resold through the Paris dealer.
“Reportedly the new owner was Italian foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano.
“Hence the transplant of the original “D” on the rear fender with “I” for Italy, but this is not documented.
“Tom Hanson, son of the 500K’s eventual restorer, recounted that the car had somehow wound up in Ethiopia.
“It was covered in tarpaulins and hidden in a manure pile.”
Motoring whizz Dale Hanson spent 16 months undertaking a complete restoration.
He matched the original maroon finish and leather interior to traces of original materials still in place on the classic car.
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