Mercedes-Benz
680 S Torpedo-Sport by Saoutchik

Why it matters

This is one of a small group of Torpedo Roadster bodies that the Paris coachbuilder Saoutchik fitted to the supercharged Mercedes-Benz Typ S chassis in 1928, and it is thought to be the only survivor of three low-windshield examples. After a full restoration by Paul Russell and Company it was awarded 100 points and then Best of Show at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. RM Sotheby's sold it in 2013 for USD 8,250,000.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The chassis was delivered to Carrosserie J. Saoutchik in August 1928. The commission papers name an American client, but the car was apparently never collected, and Mercedes-Benz New York used it on its stand at the 1929 New York Auto Salon and in the Salon advertising. A Standard Oil director then bought it, and it stayed with one family for roughly seven and a half decades.

After 1980 the family had it restored, and it won a national first prize at an AACA event in 1982, was chosen for Mercedes-Benz's 1986 centenary events and spent about two decades on loan to the Owls Head Transportation Museum. It was sold in 2006 with about 31,000 miles and arrived at Paul Russell and Company in April 2010 for a frame-off restoration, which led to the 2012 Pebble Beach win.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

RM Sotheby's lists the car as chassis 35949, engine 72151, body no. 1713 and commission number 40156; the Pebble Beach page gives the chassis as 35959, so the two sources differ on one digit. The restoration report states that all chassis and drivetrain components are numbered internally and externally to match the commission papers, and that the Saoutchik job number is stamped on the original wood body framing and metal fittings. Other checkable details are the sill plates engraved "Carrosserie J. Saoutchik", the disappearing top, and the German silver trim, which metallurgical analysis found to be an 80/20 copper-nickel alloy. The Typ S has a seven-tier radiator and a hood about 3.5 inches lower than the later SS.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   2012 Best of Show Winner (1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo) Level B Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance · 2021-08-02

   • Saoutchik made perhaps a dozen Torpedo Roadster bodies
   • only remaining survivor of three low-windshield Torpedo Roadsters

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo Roadster | Paul Russell and Company Level B

   • 12 Saoutchik Torpedo Roadster bodies reportedly made, all differing in detail (per the restorer of the 2012 Pebble Beach Best of Show car; RM Sotheby's notes 3 of them were short-windshield)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster by Saoutchik, Monterey 2013 Lot 216 Level C RM Sotheby's

   • only known survivor

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   S 26/120/180 hp / W 06, 1927 - 1928 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • Engine type : M 06 (Technical data)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 6 / in-line (Technical data)
   • Total displacement : 6800 cc (tax classification: 6740 cc) (Technical data)
   • Bore x Stroke : 98 x 150 mm (Technical data)
   • Compression ratio : 4.7 (Technical data)
   • Valve operation : 1 overhead camshaft (Technical data)
   • Fuel system : 2 Mercedes-Benz updraught annular-float carburettors (Technical data)
   • carburettor engine with engageable Roots supercharger (Technical data)
   • Rated output : 120 hp, with supercharger 180 hp at 3000 rpm (Technical data)
   • Rated torque : 44 mkg at 1850 rpm (Technical data)
   • Gearing : 4-speed manual transmission (Technical data)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.15; II. 1.81; III. 1.21; IV. 1.0 (Technical data)
   • Final drive ratio : 2.76; 2.50 or 3.09 (Technical data)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Technical data)
   • Frame design : U-section pressed-steel frame (Technical data)
   • Front-wheel suspension : rigid axle (Technical data)
   • Rear-wheel suspension : rigid axle (Technical data)
   • Brake system (foot brake) : mechanical, acting on front- and rear wheels (Technical data)
   • Steering : worm-and-nut steering, left or right-hand (Technical data)
   • Wheelbase : 3400 mm (Technical data)
   • Front / rear track : 1425 / 1425 mm (Technical data)
   • Maximum speed : 170 km/h (rear-axle 2.76) (Technical data)
   • Fuel consumption : 26 l (Technical data)

   Accessed 2026-11-12