Mercedes-Benz designed and produced the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Special Roadster. It is not an isolated element in the catalog but really the top of a range. It is the biggest, the most powerful, the fastest, the most beautiful and the most expensive.
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M, lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
SOLD for $ 9.9M including premium
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M, lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
SOLD for $ 9.9M including premium
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