1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster

Mercedes-Benz always commanded a place as the premier supplier of fine cars to the political, artistic and commer-cial aristocracy; the 540K was the culmination of its pre-World War II high-performance, custom-built motorcars. After the merger of Daimler and Benz in 1926, the new company's commercial success depended upon bread-and-butter models like the mass-market 170 series and the middle-market 290 and 320. In 1935 Mercedes-Benz introduced the first mass-production diesel passenger car, the 260D. During the same period the 460 and 500 Nürburg, with side-valve engines and chassis that still reflected pre-merger Mercedes designs, met the demands of the upper middle-class German market.

Yet, while Mercedes-Benz maintained its factories with small- and medium-sized cars, it catered to the market's most demanding clientele with a limited offering of the finest motor cars ever built. Based on a strong and rigid chassis, these pioneering automobiles...