1936 Mercedes Special Roadster
One of a handful of known pre-production examples of the 540 K,
An original U.S.-delivery example, with the most desirable “longtail,” “high door,” left-hand-drive configuration of the top of the line, 'Special Roadsters'.
The Special Roadster is the ultimate Mercedes-Benz 540 K. Remarkably, it effectively accommodates only two passengers. Yet, the Sindelfingen designers succeeded in designing a car that looks much smaller and lighter than it is. The gently sloping and instantly recognizable Mercedes-Benz radiator is tucked back at the front wheels’ centerline behind sweeping front fenders. The fenders then dominate the long hood before gently curving up to create the rear fenders, which in turn flow delicately down, wrapping into the tail. Two massive exhaust pipes emerge from the hood’s right side and disappear into the fender, suggesting the power that lurks inside.
With it's 180 hp, 5,401 cc OHV inline eight-cylinder engine with driver-activated Roots-type supercharger, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K was one of the most prestigious and, in the eyes of many, the most beautiful automobile of the interwar years. Its combination of power, light weight, and sheer beauty made it the master of the road, It was also breathtakingly expensive, guaranteeing exclusivity among its owners; just 419 chassis were built, and of those, only a handful carried the superlative longtail Spezial Roadster coachwork that may well have been the high point of the coachbuilder’s art at Mercedes-Benz’s own Sonderwagenbau in Sindelfingen.
Exceptionally priced at 28,000 Reichsmark, or about $12,000 US at the prevailing exchange rate, the Special Roadster was priced by New York importer Mitropa Motors at about $14,000 landed in the United States—about 40 percent more than the most expensive catalogue-bodied Cadillac V-16. As a result, only a mere handful of supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz automobiles sold in the United States were Special Roadsters.
And this supremely special art deco beauty sold in Arizona in 2016 for a very special.............
$9.9 Million!! So start saving your pennies.......
1936 Mercedes Special Roadster
One of a handful of known pre-production examples of the 540 K,
An original U.S.-delivery example, with the most desirable “longtail,” “high door,” left-hand-drive configuration of the top of the line, 'Special Roadsters'.
The Special Roadster is the ultimate Mercedes-Benz 540 K. Remarkably, it effectively accommodates only two passengers. Yet, the Sindelfingen designers succeeded in designing a car that looks much smaller and lighter than it is. The gently sloping and instantly recognizable Mercedes-Benz radiator is tucked back at the front wheels’ centerline behind sweeping front fenders. The fenders then dominate the long hood before gently curving up to create the rear fenders, which in turn flow delicately down, wrapping into the tail. Two massive exhaust pipes emerge from the hood’s right side and disappear into the fender, suggesting the power that lurks inside.
With it's 180 hp, 5,401 cc OHV inline eight-cylinder engine with driver-activated Roots-type supercharger, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K was one of the most prestigious and, in the eyes of many, the most beautiful automobile of the interwar years. Its combination of power, light weight, and sheer beauty made it the master of the road, It was also breathtakingly expensive, guaranteeing exclusivity among its owners; just 419 chassis were built, and of those, only a handful carried the superlative longtail Spezial Roadster coachwork that may well have been the high point of the coachbuilder’s art at Mercedes-Benz’s own Sonderwagenbau in Sindelfingen.
Exceptionally priced at 28,000 Reichsmark, or about $12,000 US at the prevailing exchange rate, the Special Roadster was priced by New York importer Mitropa Motors at about $14,000 landed in the United States—about 40 percent more than the most expensive catalogue-bodied Cadillac V-16. As a result, only a mere handful of supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz automobiles sold in the United States were Special Roadsters.
And this supremely special art deco beauty sold in Arizona in 2016 for a very special.............
$9.9 Million!! So start saving your pennies.......