1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster

This Mercedes 500K with bodywork by Windovers is extremely unusual. Windovers, which began to build carriages as early as 1796 in Huntingdon, England, more often bodied Rolls-Royce and Bentleys, and many Windovers-bodied cars found their way to India. Windovers produced a small number of bodies on the 500K chassis during the thirties. The 500K was available in ten unique body styles from the factory. This Mercedes 500K Kombo is a Sedanca style cabriolet. The engine is a five-liter, straight-eight supercharged M24 unit producing 160 bhp. Windovers closed in 1956 after 160 years of coachbuilding.

The three-position roadster coachwork features a raked windscreen, curved running boards, teardrop-shaped pontoon-style fenders without sidemounted spares, and fully skirted rear fenders. There are scroll-like beltline molding and a tail that tapered from the edges. The tapered fenders and long tail have often been compared to the Count Trossi Mercedes SSK.

The Mercedes was ordered by William 'Willie' Henry Rhodes-Moorhouse. It was first registered in London in December 1935 as 'CLB 858.' Willy Rhodes-Moorhouse took delivery a month later and is believed to have retained the car for some time.

The second owner of chassis no. 123699 was F.N. Foster who placed it in storage for much of the war, from September of 1939 to October of 1946. In November 1949 it was sold to the third owner, Dr. E.F. Roberts of Chiswick. Performance Cars, Ltd. It was advertised for sale in the mid-1950s and sold in December of 1957.

The British dealer Charles Howard acquired the 500 K in the early 1970s and following a complete restoration under his supervision in red and black, sold to Austrian glass magnate Werner Lutzky. Mr. Lutzky exhibited the car in his private museum at Schloss Kremsegg in Kremsmunster and apparently refinished it to all-over black late in the 1980s.

In the early 1990s, it was sold to another Austrian enthusiast, then returned to the United Kingdom as part of a significant collection a decade later.

The current caretaker acquired the car in 2006, after which RM Auto Restoration undertook an extensive cosmetic freshening that included paintwork, a new interior and convertible top. In 2007, the car was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours and at the Amelia Island Concours in 2008.