In 1908, a multi-day, multi-country reliability trial was christened in honour of trophy sponsor and motor racing fan Prince A.W. Heinrich of Prussia. Benz won the race and in commemoration produced a bespoke and handbuilt ‘Prinz Heinrich’ model from 1908-1910. Bonhams will auction one of these expensive limited-editions this November.

The Prinz Heinrich cars were technologically ahead of their time with overhead valves and a shaft drive among other innovations. Produced over 100 years ago with various engine configurations, they could reach a remarkable speed at 161 km/h.

This particular example on offer, the 1908 75/105hp Prinz Heinrich Benz Raceabout with engine #5691, was brought to the United States and driven by legendary pioneer racer Barney Oldfield. The car appeared in many promotional events for Benz and Firestone Tires and appeared in the silent film Race For Life. Its next owner later restored it to the current two-seat raceabout configuration.

The beautiful car is still in working order and will be auctioned at the Bothwell Ranch in Woodland Hills, California on November 11th. Visit the auction page for details.