Portraits of the DMC Spezial-Cabriolet

The legendary Pocher Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet has baffled model builders since the kit was released in the seventies.  All sorts of 500K and 540K Mercedes-Benzes

were built in 1935, but finding any with the details of the Pocher kit was nearly impossible.  Most cabriolets had flat windscreens and short bodies, while the V-ed

 windshields seemed to be confined to a few 'Spezial Roadsters'.  This confusion was cleared up by Jan Melin's second volume of The Supercharged Eight-Cylinder Mercedes-Benzes  

which showed the prototype car--chassis number 130859--looking nearly identical to the Pocher box top.  When the prototype was sold out of the Eccelstone collection in 2007,

most of the mysteries were solved.  The Pocher people were shown to have made a creditable replica of the car, but there still remained the question of whether or not there

were two similar cars as suggested by the Pocher instructions.  Although Melin's research indicates that only one was built, the Elves of DMC are sticking with the Pocher folks 

 and looking for an elusive second "Spezial-Cabriolet".

To make sure the DMC version maintains its tradition of zoominess, the windshields

and side windows are lowered and the top stack is streamlined.  This design was inspired

by the much more contemporary Porsche 356 Speedster.

Mother-of-pearl instrument fascia and steering wheel assembly are courtesy of Model Motorcars, Ltd.

 as are door handles and pulls.    Chrome trim-strips are scratch-built.

Long doors are a match for the prototype, but the DMC version has a covered spare

wheel like those seen on some Spezial Roadsters.

Shiny and "murdered-out" as the kids say.

Hood grills are  from MMLtd. ; trim strips are scratch-built.

Working lights add drama.  Wealthy owner would not mind that the fog lights serve

to cushion the bumper from damage.

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