Automotive design for Alexis Kellner AG Berlin

£1,500 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books · No longer available

Finished in pale blue with contrasting mid-blue roof and coachlines, and corresponding pale blue spoked wheels, presented against a landscape background silhouetted trees, this grand 4-door cabriolet was one of many variant designs around the underpinnings of the Mercedes Typ Mannheim, which ran from 1929 to 1934, and was designed by Mercedes' then chief engineer, the legendary Ferdinand Porsche. It was based on a 6-cylinder 3.4 litre engine that established the reputation for reliability and longevity enjoyed by Mercedes engines to this day. Founded by Alexis Kellner (1880-1953) in 1910, in Berlin, the eponymous Alexis Kellner AG coachbuilding company's stylish automobile bodywork designs were immediately successful. This was demonstrated by the number of orders he received at the International Motor Show, in Berlin, in 1911. Kellner was noted for his inventiveness of small details, such as a concealed handle behind the driver's seat for quickly and easily raising and lowering the car's roof, concealed bonnet hinges, for aesthetic as well as aerodynamic reasons, and a suitcase mounted on the running board. The company's success reached its zenith in the 1920s, when it was famed for the luxury bodies it designed for such prestigious manufacturers as Audi, Austro-Daimler, Bugatti, Cadillac, Horch, Maybach, Mercedes, and others. This popularity stemmed from both the highly stylish external lines and the sumptuously appointed interiors. This emphasis on sensuous indulgence was e

• Binding: Hardcover

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