Miguel Sánchez
With three victories in the European Drivers' Championship Rudolf caracciola remains one of the greatest drivers in history. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 432 km/h in a Mercedes-Benz W125 - a road record that remains unbeaten - this driving celebrity was one of the names most closely associated with the so-called "Silver Arrows".
In short, a genuine mass phenomenon capable of remaining intimately linked to the image of prestige and victory exuded by Mercedes-Benz. Given this, it is not surprising how the factory itself decided to honour him in 1935 with a unique and personalised 500K.
A vehicle not only capable of entertaining the driver based on his merits, but also the protagonist of a advertising campaign in which both Mercedes-Benz and Rudolf Caracciola clearly benefited.
And in this unit we not only find the best engineering of the time - materialized in the supercharged engine by Ferdinand Porsche - but also a body with stylized and refined lines designed to instill the maximum idea of speed and efficiency. Without a doubt one of the most interesting Mercedes-Benz of all time, which has just come to light after years of mystery thanks to its imminent auction by RM Sotheby's.
MERCEDES-BENZ 500K “CARACCIOLA”, MAXIMUM EXPONENT
Beyond the single-seaters designed for the European Drivers' Championship, the 500K represents one of the greatest engineering peaks achieved by Mercedes-Benz during the XNUMXs. An era in which it was still a brand focused almost exclusively on the highest range, without the subsequent attention paid to certain “access” segments after the end of the Second World War.
Dominated by its supercharged eight-cylinder engine, the 500K was offered in three different chassis to accommodate the three types of bodywork offered by the factory as well as the many customizations made on bare frames. A wide range for collectors in which the XNUMXK stood out. the chassis113718; base on which the unit given as a gift to Rudolf Caracciola was built.
Stylized to the maximum possible in a car with lines as baroque and excessive as those of the Mercedes-Benz 500K, it stands out for its rearward position of the passenger compartment along with a certain reduction in its height. In short, a refined appearance especially when we observe the whole from its strict side.
A REALLY EYE-CATCHING STORY
Delivered to Rudolf Caracciola via the brand's dealer in Paris, he used the model for a short time before selling it to the same Galeazzo Ciano; one of the heavyweights in the organisational chart of Italian fascism and which, due to its imperial whims, ended up depositing the vehicle in the confines of invaded Ethiopia.
However, the Mercedes-Benz 500K managed to survive the ravages of time and abandonment under some precarious tarpaulins, passing into the hands of a new owner -We understand that during those years it was part of the heritage inherent to some of the chieftains united with the government of Haile Selsassie- at the beginning of the sixties.
From here, and already as a true collector's jewel, our protagonist crossed the Atlantic to the United States, changing hands regularly while appearing in some elegance contests; what's more, in the Peeble Beach 1966 He finished second in his category.
However, in 1979 he had the fortune or misfortune - depending on how you look at it - to fall into the hands of Rudi Klein; one of the largest collectors in California, especially known for his secrecy, taste for junk and even the ability to abandon the preservation of its best units under very precarious conditions.
However, his collection will finally go up for auction this October - he died some twenty years ago - and pieces such as this Mercedes-Benz 500K could be better maintained and lived up to; undoubtedly one of the most interesting and historically notable in all the assets of the German house.
Images: RM Sotheby's
