It is not often that values of classic cars in South Africa is known. Overseas values are usually taken into account, and when a valueble classic car is up for sale, it usually is passed on to a another collector.
The result is that when certain classic cars are up for auction, when one should take note if the values of these are of any interest to you.
According to Stephan Welz & Co. this very rare Mercedes was imported to the Union of South Africa in 1958 as a special order for Mrs. Mary Oppenheimer. She owned the car for a short period of time and apparently did not like the column shift. The car was then sold to the wealthy Prowse family (the daughter, Juliet Prowse was a world famous dancer and actress) and remained in their hands until the early 2000’s when it was bought by Mr. Steve Rademeyer. The guide price is said to be between R1,6- and R1,9-million.
Mercedes-Benz only built 1 251 of this model in Coupé version, and quite a number were bought by aristocracy; even King Juan Carlos of Spain was gifted one by his father, as well as many famous actors and politicians.
A ten-year survey by Knight Frank (November 2014) showed collectable cars have appreciated by 469%, followed by gold coins at 254%, art at 226% and London property at 135%.
Under the Hammer
This 1958 Mercedes Benz 220S Coupé will go under the hammer as part of the Stephan Welz & Co. Fine Art & Collectables Auction at Nelson Mandela Square, 4th Floor South Tower in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 17 and 18 November 2015. Pre-auction viewing is open to the public from 11 to 16 November. Catalogues will be available from both the Cape Town and Johannesburg offices as well as the Stephan Welz & Co. website www.stephanwelzandco.co.za.
Anyone who can’t attend the auction in person can bid for pieces online via www.the-saleroom.com, a leading portal for live art and antiques auctions. Users of the website can search catalogues and place their bids over the internet in real-time, with live audio and video from the auction room.
Happy bidding.
