A unique classic Mercedes-Benz which was hidden away from the Nazis and later smuggled out of the Soviet Union has sold at auction for more than £5.2 million.
The 1939 Mercedes 540 K Special Roadster which was specially commissioned by Berlin-based art dealer Rolf Horn is believed to be the last surviving model of its kind in the world.
Horn took delivery of the car in August of that year, but the start of World War II just a month later prompted him to put it into storage in an effort to conceal it.
It was later rediscovered in Soviet-controlled East Berlin a decade after, and was handed to Soviet diplomats, who used the car until 1953 at which time it was transported back to Russia.
After Swedish translator Alf Johansson purchased it in 1964 while living in Moscow, the car was smuggled out from behind the Iron Curtain in a daring move than saw Johansson drive it over the border into Sweden.
The car was finally sold on to an American collector where it remained for many years until eventually being passed on to renowned auction house RM Sotheby’s to be sold.
Powered by a 180bhp 5.4-litre supercharged inline-eight engine, the 540 K Special Roadster is now regarded by many as the pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz’s pre-War achievements.
As if the car wasn’t rare enough already, it’s differentiated by every other model thanks to the extensive bespoke features that Horn demanded, including a dashboard fashioned from mother-of-pearl.
It was sold to an unknown buyer for a price in excess of £5.2 million and a spokesman for RM Sotheby’s said the auction house was “delighted with the price it achieved.”
