The Mercedes SS-special convertible as a measuring car

When it opened in 1921, the AVUS was the first street in the world on which only vehicles were allowed to drive. In 1932 the ‘Motorway’ Cologne-Bonn was opened to traffic. Concrete plans for further motorways existed before the National Socialists took power in 1933. With a law dated June 27, 1933, Hitler made the planned motorway construction a task of the state. Mr. Willy Hof was responsible for the construction of those motorways. On November 24, 1933, Mr. Hof ordered a convertible with an SS chassis with 27/160 / 200PS (No. 36345, engine No. 72766) from Daimler-Benz AG. This chassis (already manufactured in 1931) was passed on to Erdmann & Rossi Berlin for bodywork.

Erdmann & Rossi (1898 - 1949) was a Berlin body construction company that became known in the first half of the 20th century primarily for its individual luxury bodies. Borrowings from aircraft construction, flowing lines, aerodynamic design, extremely high quality workmanship - Erdmann & Rossi were far ahead of their time at the time. The individual bodies were / are unique and world famous!

This extraordinary convertible was shown for the first time at the Berlin Motor Show in 1934. The colour was light grey. The rear with the two spare tires was very expressive. Therefore, the British and American visitors christened the Cabriolet ‘Penguin’. Streamline expert Professor Emil August Everling was instrumental in the design of the special convertible.

In 1934, Mr. Hof and his drivers travelled to northern Italy. At that time there were already motorway-like roads. These had to be measured and tested! The goal was to learn from Italy. The Cabriolet was equipped with appropriate measuring devices. It raced across the road at 200km / h in order to gain experience with cross winds. Due to the poor road conditions and the enormous speed, the tires often burst. In addition, the full coverage of the rear wheels did not allow ventilation and therefore cooling of the tires. This also caused the brakes to overheat. The biggest problem, however, was the extremely high speed! The other road users were not prepared for a car to come rushing from behind at such a speed. As a result, there were some accidents, which luckily went very lightly.

The special cabriolet was rebuilt several times by Erdmann & Rossi. It also received the warning colour 'orange'. In the last conversion stage, white stripes were even applied to the car. For this reason, the German engineers lovingly christened the car 'The Parrot'. After successfully completing the test drives in Italy, Mr. Hof undertook further test drives in Germany with the Cabriolet. He crashed with the SS special convertible on the Reichsautobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. It was the same route on which Bernd Rosemeyer had a fatal accident in 1938.

In 1938, this 540 K with sleek roadster body was presented at the booth of the bodywork of Erdmann & Rossi at the automobile and motorcycle exhibition in Berlin (IAMA). Special attention deserved the half coverage of the rear wheels. The interior, however, corresponded to the production vehicle.

The turnover of this model car is subject to differential taxation according to § 25a USTG: This means 0% VAT.

Ahead of its time

From around 1906, the Berlin-based company “Erdmann & Rossi” dedicated itself to the production of bodies for automobiles. Even before the First World War, the German nobility was one of the clients and even in the 1920s the factory relied on a financially strong clientele and provided chassis of the luxury brands Rolls Royce, Horch, or Bentley with neat bodies.

Erdmann & Rossi attracted attention at the IAMA in Berlin in February 1933 with a very aerodynamically shaped car based on a Mercedes-Benz 170. The car, painted in the color old gold, certainly caused heated discussions, some saw a short-term spleen in it, others a real option. The management of Mercedes-Benz was also among the skeptics, because on the first day of the fair, the Swabians issued the decree that the star should not be mounted as a logo on the vehicle.

The Mercedes-Benz no longer indicated its standard model due to its appearance characterized by extreme curves and teardrop shape. While the front wheels were not covered to allow the steering lock, the rear wheels were fully covered. In retrospect, the Erdmann & Rossi Mercedes-Benz was several years ahead of its time. Presumably, this was precisely its fate that it found no supporters and quickly disappeared into oblivion.

1935 wurde ein Einzelstück des Mercedes-Benz 500K (W29) für Carl Friedrich von Siemens gefertigt. Dieses Stromliniefahrzeug hatte ein Plexiglas-Schiebedach und eine Aluminium-Karosserie. Die Metallic-Lackierung war fisch-silberblau. Die Sitze waren aus hellbeigen-grauem Leder. Die Motornummer lautet 123 756. Dieses Einzelstück nennt sich auch Innensteuer-Limousine und wurde von dem Berliner Karosseriebauers Erdmann & Rossi unter der Kommissions-Nummer. 2725 hergestellt.

Erdmann & Rossi spezialisierte sich auf Luxusaufbauten deutscher und ausländischer Automobilhersteller und übernahm zusätzlich die deutsche Vertretung von Rolls-Royce- und Bentley-PKWs. Etwa 200 Arbeiter stellten zwei bis drei Karosserien pro Woche her.

Der Mercedes-Benz W 29, genannt Mercedes-Benz 500 K, wurde als Nachfolger der Typen SS/SSK im Februar 1934 auf der 24. Internationalen Automobil- und Motorrad-Ausstellung (IAMA) in Berlin vorgestellt. Der damalige Preis betrug 15.000 Reichsmark, was auf heutige Verhältnisse umgerechnet etwa 100.000 Euro entspricht. Vom Modell 500 K wurden insgesamt nur 342 Stück hergestellt. Die 180 PS starken Nachfolger ab 1936 hießen Mercedes-Benz 540 K. 

Der  Mercedes-Benz W 29 war in drei verschiedenen Fahrgestellen erhältlich.  Alle Wagen wurden mit einem Achtzylinder-OHV-Reihenmotor mit 5018 cm³ Hubraum und zuschaltbarem Roots-Gebläse ausgestattet. Die Antriebseinheit liefert 74 kW (100 PS) im Saugbetrieb und 118 kW (160 PS) mit Kompressor.  Alle vier Räder haben hydraulische Bremsen mit Saugluftunterstützung. Die Wagen erreichen eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 160 km/h.