Ilario IL207-IL208-IL209-IL210
Ilario IL207-IL208-IL209-IL210 - Ilario 1/43 -The story of the Mercedes-Benz 720 SSK sn35340 with Karosserie Papler bodywork (1932): ownership history, Prince Hohenlohe, and the Ilario 1/43 scale model.
1/43 MODEL
Ilario CHIERA - Bernd LOOSEN
6/5/20263 min read
IL207
Ilario 1/43
Mercedes 720 SSK Sports Cabriolet Karosserie Papler 1932 sur sn35340 de 1928
Dark Grey/Black
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A big thank you to Mr. Bernd Loosen for his research regarding this car.
What is known:
Few automobiles have been as mysterious as the Mercedes-Benz 720 SSK, featuring its 1932 bodywork by Karosserie Papler (Cologne, Germany).
Little is known about Commission No. 39608.
The history of 39608, as far as it can be traced:
The car was built around 1928 as a Model 720 SS (W05) and bore chassis number 35340. It was entered in several races, including the 1931 German Grand Prix.
Subsequently, the car's engine was upgraded from the SS configuration to the SSK specification (27/170/225 hp), and the vehicle received a new, custom-made body from the Cologne-based coachbuilder Papler in late 1931. Papler enjoyed a strong reputation for creating elegant bodies on Mercedes SS and SSK chassis.
Although this car is generally referred to as a 1931 model, it would be more accurate to describe it as a 1928 car fitted with a 1932 "Sport-Cabriolet" (Cabriolet A) body; this is simply because it is highly unlikely that Papler had enough time to hand-craft a Cabriolet A body during the five months between the German Grand Prix on July 20 and Christmas 1931...
It is worth noting that the bodywork had to be constructed over a custom-made wooden framework—a labor-intensive process requiring absolute precision.
Perhaps the only—albeit unlikely—way to complete such a bodywork order in such a short timeframe would have been for Papler to carry out preliminary work while the car was still actively competing. In fact, no consensus has emerged—neither among the writers of the time nor among contemporary historians—regarding the exact year this racing car was converted into a "Sport-Cabriolet": 1931... 1932... 1933?
According to the caption accompanying a photograph of the car published in a German automotive magazine in 1931, we know that the bodywork was commissioned by the vehicle's owner, Prince Albrecht zu Hohenlohe-Jagstberg und Bartenstein.
Some time later, during the 1930s, the SSK appears to have changed hands. While the Hohenlohe coat of arms had previously appeared on the doors—when the vehicle still belonged to Prince Albrecht zu Hohenlohe-Jagstberg—the emblem suddenly disappeared.
Furthermore, the license plate IIIP-4170 was replaced by IIN-15485; under the German vehicle registration system in effect during the 1930s, the code IIIP corresponded to the "Jagstkreis" (Jagst district), whereas IIN designated the "Stadtbezirk Nürnberg" (City of Nuremberg). This suggests that the car was sold to Otto Spandel, a prominent publisher and printer from Nuremberg (Verlag Erich Spandel).
In addition to his publishing business, Otto Spandel was a privateer racing driver who competed in Mercedes sports cars between 1928 and 1931.
It is worth noting that, at the German Grand Prix on July 20, 1931, he drove the Mercedes 720 SSK bearing race number 22—a car owned and entered in the race by none other than Prince Hohenlohe-Jagstberg.
The car's color remains unknown. All available photographs naturally show the cabriolet in black and white, and opinions regarding its color vary considerably.
However, the general consensus tends to suggest that the car was likely two-toned—perhaps red with black fenders (a very popular style at the time) and a black hood. A grey and black color scheme—or perhaps a more understated greenish-grey—is also a perfectly plausible possibility. Many combinations are conceivable; no one can say with certainty which is right or wrong...
However, on the cover of its issue dated April 9, 1933 (No. 15), the German magazine Motor und Sport published an illustration depicting an entirely red car that bore a striking resemblance to the sporty Papler-bodied cabriolet. Even allowing for a certain degree of "artistic license," it is entirely possible that the car was, in fact, red.
No trace of the car remains after the late 1930s. Unfortunately, it is quite possible that it was destroyed during the heaviest bombing raids Nuremberg endured in World War II.
It is not inconceivable that the Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK, with its Papler bodywork, was destroyed during these events—or perhaps even in an earlier Allied air raid.
The 1:43 scale Ilario model
After carefully analyzing the few available photographs and consulting extensively with color experts, Ilario chose a grey livery with black fenders for its 1:43 scale model of the Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK.
Like all their previous creations, this model comes as close to perfection as human and technical capabilities allow. Indeed, this is an observation I came across on Google pages... AI!
IL208
Ilario 1/43
Mercedes 720 SSK Sports Cabriolet Karosserie Papler 1932 sur sn35340 de 1928
Dark Grey/Black
Top Up
IL209
Ilario 1/43
Mercedes 720 SSK Sports Cabriolet Karosserie Papler 1932 sur sn35340 de 1928
Light Metal Grey/Black
Top Down
IL210
Ilario 1/43
Mercedes 720 SSK Sports Cabriolet Karosserie Papler 1932 sur sn35340 de 1928
Light Metal Grey/Black
Top Up
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