1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster Mayfair

This 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster has chassis number 154080 and is bodied by the Mayfair Carriage Company. From 1936 through 1940 a total of 419 540K chassis were built A total of eleven standard body styles were created by the factory at Sindelfingen for the 540K. Less than ten carried custom coachwork by the U.K. coachbuilder, Mayfair. They work mostly centered around small volume production for companies such as Alvis and Lagonda.

This sporty vehicle has a folding windshield, skirted rear fenders, and extensive use of louvers. It is fitted with an eight-cylinder engine with a driver-activated and gear-driven Rootes type supercharger with twin updraft pressurized carburetors. The result is 180 horsepower which is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on the third and a dog clutch on the fourth gear. Four-wheel servo-assisted hydraulic drum brakes provide the stopping power.

It was shipped from the factory on October 7th of 1936 to the factory store in Paris, France. Paris was an unusual place for a right-hand drive chassis, especially one that would later be fitted with an English body. Some theory's for this unusual situation was that it may have been ordered by a British individual living in Paris who took possession of the chassis then had it sent to the UK for completion. In any case, the early history of the vehicle has been lost to time and the mystery of its early travel to Paris adds to the allure of the vehicle.

The car was brought to North America by a Canadian serviceman. This part of the vehicle's history is also unknown. But by the late 1950s, the car was still in Canada. It was involved in a garage fire but received very little damage. In the early 1960s, it was purchased by publisher and collector Richard C. Mertz who had the car brought to America and commissioned a restoration.

In 1984, the restoration was in the process, and Mr. Mertz passed away. The ownership passed to his son, Stephen Mertz, of Royal Oak, Mi.

In 1995 the car was nearing completion but some of the work was over two decades old. The car was sold and purchased by Ralph Englestad of Las Vegas, Nevada. Under his care, the restoration was completed, with the work done the vehicle amounting to a second restoration. The color was changed from black over silver to red. Mr. Englestad passed away in 2002 and the car entered the collection of a well-known California enthusiast.

This 540K Special Roadster was brought to the 2007 Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $2,500,000 - $3,000,000. It was one of the highlights of the show and one of the high sales of the day, as the lot was sold for $2,530,000 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007