Rare piece of history

For those with deep pockets and a penchant for historical vehicles, the 5.5m left-hand drive Mercedes-Benz W124 A320 Cabriolet goes under the hammer during the show. Although not the fastest machine at the show, the 1948 car (with 59kW of power under the extraordinarily long bonnet) was originally built by Daimler-Benz as a design study for a future luxury cabriolet model.

According to rare car insurer Shannons, which is conducting the auction: "As the company then had only just recommenced production after the devastation of World War II, the vehicle employed the 59kW side-valve engine and a number of other mechanical components from the last of the W142 long wheelbase Mercedes-Benz luxury cars manufactured from 1937 until hostilities and factory damage halted production in 1942."