The big puzzle around X-252

A very special Mercedes sports car was a 500K from 1935, which the super-rich Chinese Tan Tjoan Keng ordered at the Oegstgeester "Garage Rooyakkers". Tan came from a super-rich Chinese family who traded raw materials from Jakarta (Indonesia). Tan lived, among other places, in a house in Oegstgeest, a suburb of Leiden in southwest Holland, was multilingual and spoke among other languages also German.

This wonderful 500 K was manufactured in the bodywork in Sindelfingen under the direction of Hermann Ahrens. The 500K was referred to as a "special streamlined car", was luxuriously equipped and nothing was left to chance: the seats could be folded to reclining seats, and the opening windows behind the doors could be completely sunk into the body. The passenger had a pull-out tray under the dashboard. This was equipped with a reading lamp above the glove compartment, a kind of desk, ideal for reading maps at night.

The spare wheels were hidden under the streamlined wheel covers. The tank had a capacity of 180 litres (instead of the usual 110 litres). The 500K "special streamlined car" was equipped with two 12 volt batteries and additional storage space - one for stowing a rifle! The 500 K had two pendulum-direction-indicator on each side: one in the spare wheel cover, and the second just behind the small opening window behind the car door. Reflecors at the ends of the bumpers both at the front and at the back were further safety installations.

What has become of X-252?

In spring 1935, the 500K "Spezial Stromlinienwagen" was picked up by Tan in Stuttgart. Extensive travel could be traced until 1938. In 1949, "Garage Rooyakkers" in Oegstgeest, where Tan had ordered the 500 K, offered the 500K "Spezial Stromlinienwagen" in the Dutch magazine "De Auto" for 16,000 guilders. Since then, every trace is lost!

Do you have any knowledge about the whereabouts of this particular 500K "special streamlined car? If so, please let us know!

Rolls Royce Phantom II 40/50HP 1934 Maharaja of Rajkot: "Star of India"

The one-off 1934 Phantom II 40/50 HP Continental 'All-Weather Convertible' custom made for the Maharaja of Rajkot with coachwork by Thrupp and Maberley finished in saffron ochre with polished aluminum wings. The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was the third and last of Rolls-Royce's 40/50 hp models, replacing the New Phantom in 1929. Thrupp & Maberly was a London-based British body shop that closed in 1967.

This very special luxury-car has seven-seater coachwork body and sports some unique touches to its paintwork. The bonnet and wings are made of polished aluminium and the rest of the body is of a saffron ochre finish, a shade that is considered a symbol of purity in India. The interior of the car is also made entirely in ochre, and the dashboard is marbled with saffron paste. Another unique feature is that the two fog lights follow the movement of the steering wheel.

History:The Adlerwerke previously Heinrich Kleyer AG (Frankfurt), were among the most important German automobile manufacturers before the First World War. Of the 55,000 passenger cars that drove in the German Reich in 1914, every fifth car was an Adler! In the twenties and thirties Adler was always the third or fourth largest car manufacturer. For comparison, about 46.5 million cars are registered in Germany today! Heinrich Kleyer and Edmund Rumpler formed the management team. Hans Gustav Röhr was the chief designer from 1931-1935 and designed the Adler Trumpf Junior Sport land speed record car.

The Adler Trumpf Junior was produced from 1934. It had front-wheel drive like the larger model, the Adler Trump, but an engine capacity of only one litre. In 1934 and 1935, just over 100,000 Adler Trumpf Juniors were built.

The Record Run:On March 25, 1935, an Adler Trump Junior Sport land speed record lap by lab d car began to turn round by round on the Avus motorway. A standard Adler Trumpf Junior was given a two-daysports car trial with a 1000 cc engine. The only new things introduced were streamlined wheel covers and the driver's hood. In addition, the compression of the engine had been increased to 1:7,6 and the muffler removed. The sum of these measures resulted in a final speed of 125 km / h, so it was possible to drive parade-laps of 115 km / hour.

The racing drivers Paul Schweder and Rudolf Hasse (Bruno Jaddatz was added on the third day) took turns while driving the Adler. The trip was originally planned as a factory trial. The car would be tested to see how long the  Adler could withstand reckless driving at a target speed of 110 km / hour, without the engine failing. As the end of the 48-hour journey approached, the crew were a bit puzzled. The Adler had already driven 5,000 km and the target speed was met. But the decision-makers on the ground decided to test who could keep up the pressure for longer - human or machine? The result was a clear victory for the machine!

The Adler Trumpf Junior Sport Record Car drove around 16,000 km in seven days and six nights! On the penultimate day Paul von Guillaum joined as the fourth driver. When, after 151 hours, the trip was cancelled, the Adler still had a total average speed of 103.36 km / h, breaking 13 existing world records. And this despite a heavy snowstorm on the penultimate day of the record run. The journey took place using Conti balloon tyres 4.5 / 17 and fuel from Aral. The record run was measured by the sports facilities of the DDAC (Der Deutsche Automobil-Club) . After the record run, the car drove to the opening of a highway in the convoy, and was then shelved by the Adler Sports Department. In 1943 the Adler Trumpf Junior Sport Record Car was destroyed in the bombardment of the Allied forces.

Imperator - the first Audi eight-cylinder

Audi, then based in Zwickau, Saxony, built exquisite, high-quality automobiles from 1910 to 1940, building about 10,700 vehicles in that time. After a break of 25 years, Audi was revived in Ingolstadt in 1965. How did it get on?

On 19 June 1909, August Horch, who established the A. Horch & Cie. Motorenwagenwerke Aktiengesellschaft automobile factory in Zwickau/Saxony, left his company due to immense pressure from the Supervisory Board. With an initial DM200,000 of borrowed capital, he bought a former woodworking factory and in July 1909 and founded a new company, August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH. The Reichsgerich court decreed that August Horch was not permitted to give the new company his own name, as the right to use the name remained with the A. Horch & Cie. Motorenwagenwerke Aktiengesellschaft. He was compensated with  DM20,000 for the loss. A new company name had to be found. After some reflection, he came up with the Latin imperative 'Audi'. In the German language, this means Horch (which is a synonym for listening). Thus, the brand name Audi was born'.

In 1927, the first Audi eight-cylinder came onto the market: the Audi Type R 19/100 hp. Two spare wheels were standard for the 100hp Audis; however, only 145 were sold. At the launch people still spoke of "the majesty of strong cars". A short time later, the Audi Type R was confidently named 'Imperator' (Emperor, which was one of the most expensive automobiles of its time. On occasion, buyers paid more for an Audi than for a Horch. As was normal at the time, Audi handed over the chassis to various coachbuilders.

After economic difficulties, Audi GmbH was taken over by the Zschopauer Motorenwerke in 1928, which was owned by J. S. Rasmussen AG. The Zschopauer Motorenwerke was chiefly known for its DKW (Dampf Kraft Wagen) brand, which was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world at the time.

Shortly after the acquisition of Audi in 1928, Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen allowed his elegant two-door convertible Audi Type Imperator to be converted by the Berlin coachbuilder Josef Neuss. Rasmussen's cabriolet was presented at the 21st International Motor Show in Berlin in November 1928 by Neuss, painted white, with the aim of boosting the sluggish sales of the Audi Type R. After the fair, the luxury cabriolet was painted black and handed back to Rasmussen in early 192, to use as his personal car.

The only remaining Audi Type R dates back to 1929 and can now be admired in the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt (Germany).

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.

Automobiles Talbot S.A. was a French car manufacturer from 1920 to 1959 (bankruptcy and sale to Simca), which sold cars under the Talbot brand and from 1935 as Talbot-Lago. The Talbot-Lago Type 26 Grand Sport was a sports car introduced by Talbot-Lago in 1947 and built until the mid-1950s. Figoni et Falaschi was a French body building company responsible for some of the most elegant and graceful body shapes seen from the 1930s to the 1950s. One of these works was an opulent sheet metal dress on the chassis of a Talbot-Lago. This generously bodied car, called Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe, was one of the first vehicles built by the body after the war. This Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport was once ordered by the "zip king", Mister Fayolle and therefore provided with an indicated zip in the form of chrome parts in the middle of the bonnet.

The Lancia Loraymo was a design study by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, which followed the BMW 507 (1957; Autocult 06004). The car was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1960 and is based on the chassis of the Lancia Flaminia. The 2.5-liter V6 engine also comes from this model, but received an increase in performance from Nardi & Danese. With three Weber double carburettors and a modified camshaft, the car developed 150 hp (instead of the original 119 hp). Loewy himself drove the prototype in everyday life for a few more years before selling it. After the car was decommissioned and the original engine was lost, the car returned to Lancia in Italy in the 1970s. Here the car was restored and again fitted with a suitable engine. The Lancia Loraymo is still part of the fleet of the Fiat Group's works museum in Turin. It is exhibited at various classic car events across Europe.

Elegant and streamlined, the Delahaye 135 M Coach Gascogne line is the work of French designer Philippe Charbonneaux. Rare, beautiful and powerful thanks to its 110 hp six-cylinder engine and its Cotal gearbox with ingenious handling, this 135 M with an enviable history is a superb opportunity to enjoy the myth of the French brand.

Carrossier Louis Dubos / Dubos Fréres was situated in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris. The company is best known for their work for Avions Voisin and Talbot Lago. In 1945, they moved to Puteaux and soon became one of Talbot's favored suppliers of semi-custom coachwork. According to the Gascogne registery only twelve Gascogne coaches are listed and known to date. Eight would still be in France, two in Germany, one in Russia and one in Sweden.

Barn find: The Frejat body has been found again!

To build this model car, we did research over a period of almost two years. Again and again we were able to add a piece of the puzzle to the overall picture. It started when our oldest customer (now 99 years old) gave us a sale advertisment of the car from a magazine (US$300,000) in the summer of 2019. Then we researched on the internet, bought and translated a French magazine with an interesting article, we also phoned the University in Stockholm and bought and translated a Swedish language document and the book "Mercedes-Benz 1930-Talets Kompressorvagnar i Norden" - both by Jan Melin. Google Translator was a helpful partner for us. Last but not least, our oldest customer gave us another later sale ad from another magazine (US$ 485,000). The final piece of the research puzzle was in place: 
 
The original Mercedes Benz 540k car was shown at an exhibition in Brussels on 04 January 1939. On 07 July 1941, the car was registered in Stockholm for Count Fredrik Wachtmeister with the registration number "A 976". In the turmoil of war, the trace is lost until 1947. From the archives of the French coachbuilder Frejat (Pont-du-Chateau) come two black and white photos with this unique 'Art Déco pontoon body' and the registration number "9606 NH 6". At this time, the front headlights were still integrated into the wings. Since the car has only one exhaust, it can be assumed that the 500K engine no. 113675 was already installed at this time. This engine comes from a 500K-Mercedes Cabriolet C, which was sold to Switzerland in 1935. In the post-war period, whatever was available was used. Practical aspects beat perfection.
 
In 1947/1948, the Mercedes was sold to Venezuela. An American later bought the car there and brought it to the United States of America in 1954. In the 1960s, a doctor from Florida bought the Mercedes and sold it to the Drottningholm Collection in Sweden in 1989. Who replaced the integrated front headlights with separate front headlights - as implemented on our model - is not known. In 1992 the Mercedes was sold to an investment company. They replaced the Frejat body with a roadster body. This presumably seemed more lucrative! What happened to the Frejat body was not known until now. Until now, because suddenly we received an email: 

Hello Mr. Sabrautzky, I have just read the article on your model car. I bought the body (without chassis) about 7 years ago and it is still in my possession. You are welcome to contact me by phone. Many greetings from .......

I could hardly believe it, made a phone call, and was on my way a little later. The barn door opened and suddenly this expressive body was standing in front of me: equipped with different headlights, additional lights on the mudguards, in wine red, and without a radiator grille. The radiator grille is part of the chassis. A shiver ran down my spine. And it wasn't because of the grey-wet wind that was blowing that day. And suddenly a circle was closed. My journey was over. The new owner found an advertisement in Mobile.de about seven years ago. He is a master coachbuilder himself and immediately took the offered body into his heart. He drove to Landshut and bought this gem from the estate of an entrepreneur. At that time, he did not know that it was the Frejat body. He only found this out when he happened to come across our website www.autopioneer.de and read the story. The journey of the Frejat body will soon continue, as it is looking for a new owner. Seriously interested parties are welcome to contact me. Last but not least: I just got off the phone with my oldest customer. He was thrilled. There, too, a circle has been closed. 

Who would have thought that a model car would once again close a historical gap in automobile history? We succeeded in doing so with the Maybach SW 38 Heinrich Müller. And we succeeded with the two Opels: 1937 Opel Super 6 for Georg von Opel and 1937 Opel Blitz 1.5 - 23 COE. If this is not a terrific motivation to tackle the next model car, what is? Stay curious!