A vintage motor that spent 63 years in a derelict barn is to go up for sale for a staggering price.
An incredibly rare 1933 Mercedes 370 S Mannheim Sport Cabriolet is considered a collectible by classic car fanatics with just 195 ever built… and it could fetch up to £180,000.
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Little is known of the car’s early years but it’s believed this model was first stored in a British-occupied area of Berlin before it was later acquired by a serving member of the RAF and imported to the UK in 1955.
As reported by London-based auctioneers RM Sotheby’s, the car was sold to a woman named Dorothy Stewart, and in 1958 it passed into the care of the owner’s father – who purchased it from a dealer for £250, about £5,000 today.
But a growing family meant he had to buy a more practical vehicle, so the Mercedes was locked away in a barn and subsequently forgotten about.
It emerged 63 years later in its original condition although in dire need of renovation.
The rusting car, which officially goes up for auction on November 4, has a 3.8 litre six-cylinder engine which gives it 75bhp and a top speed of 75mph.
Annette Abaci, a senior car specialist at RM Sotheby’s, said: “Not only is this car one of only 195 examples ever built but it is a great example of a timewarp car that’s never been damaged or restored.
“Over 60 years of the same family ownership, this is now a fantastic opportunity to either bring it back to its former glory or give it a bit of TLC and present it at various concourses.
“This is an opportunity that rarely comes up.”
This comes after a rare Ferrari F50 owned by Rod Stewart is up for auction and could sell for up to £3m.
This comes after a heavily damaged Lamborghini destroyed by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street is set to sell for a jaw-dropping price.
DiCaprio, playing stockbroker and convicted fraudster Jordan Belfort, drove the 1989 Countach model while filming the beloved 2013 film.
In one scene, he wrecks the £576,000 sports car while high on drugs as he attempts to make it home in a near-paralytic state.
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