Worth about $4 million today, the Mercedes-Benz 500K in question wears chassis number 105380 and was displayed on the automaker's stand at the 1935 Berlin Motor Show. After the event it was purchased by Hans Prym, a very wealthy industrialist who kept it in a garage in Germany near the border with Belgium. The car mysteriously disappeared from Prym's property in 1945 while he was in prison.
Where the car went after it left Germany remains a mystery but it eventually surfaced in a car collection in the 1970s. It has changed hands several times since, most recently selling for $3.8 million at an auction organized in Monterey, California, by RM Auctions.
Frans van Haren, the man who purchased it in Monterey, listed it for sale in Essen, Germany, last March. The listing caught the eye of German authorities and the car was impounded at the request of the court.
Although the court ruled that the 500K legally belongs to Prym's heirs, the car is not yet in their possession.
"The court has recognized our claim is valid and we will prepare the next stage and file suit for the car's return," said Alexander Martius, the lawyer of Prym's heirs.
Automotive historians estimate that only about 29 500K Roadsters and Spezial Roadsters remain in existence today. Powered by a 5,018cc straight-eight engine, the 500K was one of the most powerful and expensive German cars of its time.
Photo courtesy of RM Auctions.
