| Mercedes-Benz 500K | |
| Manufacturer: | Mercedes-Benz |
| Production: | 1934–1936 |
| Assembly: | Sindelfingen, Germany |
| Predecessor: | Mercedes-Benz 380SSK |
| Successor: | Mercedes-Benz 540K |
| Body Style: | 2-door convertible |
| Layout: | FR layout |
| Engine: | 5018cc I8 |
| Transmission: | 4-speed manual optional 5-speed manual[1] |
| Wheelbase: | 29801NaN1 (SWB) 32901NaN1 (LWB) |
| Weight: | Up to 2700kg (6,000lb) |
| Designer: | Friedrich Geiger |
The Mercedes-Benz 500K (W29) is a grand touring car built by Mercedes-Benz between 1934 and 1936. First exhibited at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show,[1] it carried the factory designation W29.[2] Distinguished from the 500 sedan by the "K" for Kompressor (German for supercharger), only fitted to these performance cars, it succeeded the Mercedes-Benz 380 introduced just the previous year. It offered both a larger, more powerful engine and more opulent coachwork to meet customers' demands for greater luxury and performance.[3] [4]
The 500K used the same independent suspension as had been introduced on the 380, with a double wishbone front axle, double-joint swing axle at the rear, and separate wheel location, coil springs and damping, a world first.[1] [3] Consequently, it was a more comfortable and better handling car than Mercedes' previous S/SS/SSK generation of roadsters from the 1920s, and offered greater appeal to buyers, particularly the growing number of well-heeled female drivers of the time.[1]
Pressing the throttle pedal fully engaged the Roots supercharger,[1] inducing the five litre straight-eight engine to produce up to 160hp and making the car capable of over 160-2NaN-2, while consuming fuel at the rate of up to 30L/100 km as it did so.[1] [4]
Three different chassis and eight bodies were available for customers;[1] [4] the two longer "B" and "C" four-seat cabriolet versions rode on a wheelbase of 32901NaN1, and would later be used on other sedan and touring car models.[1] The short "A" chassis, with a 29801NaN1 wheelbase, underpinned the two-seater models: the Motorway Courier, and the 1936 Special Roadster which offered the highest performance.[1] [5] All models featured such advanced equipment as safety glass, hydraulic brakes, and a 12-volt electrical system sufficient to bear the load of the electric windscreen wipers, door locks, and indicators.[4]
Of the combined production of the 500K (342 cars), including 29 "Special Roadsters" during its two years in production, and the later 540K (419 cars) from Sindelfingen, the deliveries were:[1]
Cruella de Vil, the fictional character in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, drives a red and black automobile which strongly resembles a Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet, an Alvis Speed 20 and a Bugatti Royale.