Vintage Mercedes 540K The Supercharged Supercar

The Mercedes-Benz 500 K and 540 K were the supercharged supercars of the 1930’s.  In the 30’s Mercedes-Benz supercharged luxury car made speed comfortable and car travel a matter of performance.  Prior to this time the supercharger at Mercedes was primarily limited to use in racing models.  

This was the top of the line of the full Mercedes-Benz offering.  Mercede-Benz had something for everyone but these models were limited to a discriminating few.  Each 540 K was hand built often to the exacting specifications of the well heeled owner.

The 540 K was a introduced in 1936 as a replacement for the legendary 500 K and advertised as the fastest production car in the world.  This gold 1937 model is one of twenty-six 540 K-S built and was the showcase car at the 1937 Berlin Motor Show.  This 1938 Mercedes Benz 540 K Special Roadster is over 17 ft long, but only seats two – a car for attention. In 2012 this 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K S once owned by Baroness Gisela von Krieger was the centerpiece of the Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach.  Worth its own post, we’ll have more on this car later. 

The long sleek hood of the captivating Mercedes 540 K with its come hither curves, big silver jewelry draping from one side of the bonnet and the roar of supercharger made bystanders listen, stop and drool.  To this day this era of the  540 K supercharged cars past the million dollar mark and is still head turner on the concours field.