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1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Navigation
The 540 K convertible cabriolet was produced in three series by Mercedes-Benz, the first being a short-lived design, shared with the last examples of the 500 K, with long, subtly skirted front fenders. This was followed by a more modern and streamlined design with slightly higher doors and a low windshield. The third and final series had deeply skirted and rounded fenders and a short, taut tail.
This particular Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen is a late-production example fitted with a five-speed transmission. It was delivered in September 1939 in Berlin, having been ordered under Kommission number 294682. When World War II came to a close, the car was in Brazil, where it wore a cream-shade paint scheme and had been owned for many years by Alfonso Coscone. Its next custodian was Franzoni Germano of São Paulo. The car remained in Brazil into the 1980s, and in the mid-1980s, it moved to the United States in the ownership of Tom W. Barrett III. Photographs of the car while in his ownership display the car with black fenders. By 1994 it had moved to California and into the care of its current custodianship, where it was refinished to the present color scheme. It has remained largely hidden away and unshown for over a quarter of a century.
It is believed that the car's restoration was largely cosmetic. It has lightly patinated leather upholstery, Bosch headlights and driving lights, matching taillights, chrome wire wheels, and 'trafficator'-style semaphore turn signals in the windshield frame.By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022
This particular Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen is a late-production example fitted with a five-speed transmission. It was delivered in September 1939 in Berlin, having been ordered under Kommission number 294682. When World War II came to a close, the car was in Brazil, where it wore a cream-shade paint scheme and had been owned for many years by Alfonso Coscone. Its next custodian was Franzoni Germano of São Paulo. The car remained in Brazil into the 1980s, and in the mid-1980s, it moved to the United States in the ownership of Tom W. Barrett III. Photographs of the car while in his ownership display the car with black fenders. By 1994 it had moved to California and into the care of its current custodianship, where it was refinished to the present color scheme. It has remained largely hidden away and unshown for over a quarter of a century.
It is believed that the car's restoration was largely cosmetic. It has lightly patinated leather upholstery, Bosch headlights and driving lights, matching taillights, chrome wire wheels, and 'trafficator'-style semaphore turn signals in the windshield frame.By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022
2022 RM Sothebys : Monterey
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $1,400,000-USD $1,800,000
Sale Price :
USD $1,435,000
2016 Bonhams - The Mercedes-Benz Sale
Pre-Auction Estimates :
€2,000,000-€2,600,000
Lot was not sold
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Mercedes-Benz 540K
(Data based on Model Year 1939 sales)
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A Conversion Chassis#: 408420 Sold for USD$566,000 2024 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach | ![]() ![]() |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408371 Sold for USD$2,205,000 2024 RM Sothebys : ModaMiami | ![]() ![]() |
1939 MERCEDES-BENZ 540K CABRIOLET A-BODY CONVERSION Chassis#: 540408420 Sold for USD$533,500 2023 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, Az. | |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408388 Sold for USD$1,435,000 2022 RM Sothebys : Monterey | ![]() ![]() |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408371 Sold for USD$1,765,000 2022 RM Sothebys : Monterey | ![]() ![]() |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A Chassis#: 408386 Sold for USD$1,794,074 2019 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais | |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408383 Sold for USD$6,600,000 2017 RM Sotheby's : Arizona Auction | ![]() ![]() |
1939 MERCEDES-BENZ 540K WITH 'CABRIOLET A' BODY CONVERSION Chassis#: 540408420 Sold for USD$1,485,000 2016 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, AZ | |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408383 Sold for USD$7,480,000 2013 RM Auctions - Monterey | ![]() ![]() |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster by Sindelfingen Chassis#: 408383 Sold for USD$4,620,000 2011 RM Auctions at Monterey | ![]() ![]() |
Mercedes-Benz 540Ks That Failed To Sell At Auction
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sindelfingen Spezial Roadster | 408383 | 2022 Broad Arrow Auctions : Monterey Jet Center Auction | $7,000,000 | $8,000,000 | |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Cabriolet A | 408371 | 2021 Bonhams : The Scottsdale Auction | |||
1939 MERCEDES-BENZ 540K CABRIOLET A | 408388 | 2016 Bonhams The MercedesBenz Sale | $2,000,000 | $2,600,000 | |
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen | 408371 | 2016 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island | $2,800,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
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1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K
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