1941 Mercedes-Benz 540K

The Mercedes-Benz 540K was introduced in 1936 at the Paris Motor Show. It was designed by Friedrich Geiger and an evolution of the 500K, which itself was a development of the SSK. The straight-8 cylinder powering the 500K was enlarged in displacement to 5,401cubic centimeters and offered 115 horsepower in naturally aspirated form. With the help of a Roots supercharger, which could be engaged manually for short periods of time, horsepower rose to 180 hp. The engine was backed by a four-speed or optional five-speed manual gearbox that featured synchromesh on the top three gears. Stopping power was provided by vacuum-assisted hydraulic drums.

The Mercedes-Benz 540K was among the largest and finest cars to ever travel the road. They were built by the finest engineers, craftsmen, and machinists with each example taking approximately 6,000 man-hours to build. They rested on a strong and rigid chassis and introduced coil spring four-wheel independent suspension using parallel wishbones at the front and swing axles at the rear.

The 500 K had been introduced to the public in March of 1934, at the international automobile and motorcycle exhibition in Berlin. Most of the 342 examples received in-house coachwork, which was offered in numerous body styles. The cabriolets and roadsters far outnumbered the closed body styles, a trend that would continue with the introduction of the 540K in 1936.

With the 180 horsepower engine, the 540K was a true 100 mph car. During its production lifespan, no more than 419 examples were built, and all but 29 were given factory Sindelfingen coachwork. 83 examples wore Cabriolet A coachwork.

Three chassis versions were available, including two long versions that had a 130-inch wheelbase, but differed in terms of bodywork and powertrain layout. The short version had a 117-inch wheelbase platform. The long-wheelbase versions included the 'B' (four side windows) and 'C' (two side windows) with body styles consisting of touring cars and saloons. The Cabriolet A rested on the shorter platform.

by Dan Vaughan

Cabriolet B by Sindelfingen
Chassis number: 408429

It took Mercedes-Benz craftsman 6,000 man hours to build a single 540K. They used the finest machinery, the best tools, the most skilled craftsman, engineers, machinists, and assemblers to construct some of the finest motor cars ever built.

The 540K was based on a strong and rigid chassis. They introduced coil spring four-wheel independent suspension using parallel wishbones at the front and swing axles at the rear. They featured synchromesh on the top three gears of their four-speed gearboxes, 12 volt electrical systems, central lubrication and vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes. The engines featured a driver-controlled supercharger (in similar fashion to the S, SS, and SSK machines of the Twenties) that boosted engine output by about 60 percent in short full power bursts. The eight-cylinder engine displaced 5,401cc and had a bore of 88mm and a stroke of 111mm. Designer Hans Nibel and his successor, Hans-Gustav Röhr, had given it a long stroke and even-firing eight-cylinder layout to maximize smoothness and relaxed performance at low speeds and sustained rapid cruising. The driver automatically engaged the supercharger when the accelerator pedal was fully pressed to the floor, upping performance in bursts, bringing horsepower from 115 BHP to 180 BHP.

The 540K was capable of cruising for extended periods at speeds approaching 90 miles per hour. With their superchargers engaged, the top speeds easily exceeded 105 miles per hour.

During the four year production lifespan of the 540K, Mercedes-Benz built fewer than 400 examples.

The Mercedes-Benz coachworks at Sindelfingen provided cabriolet offerings in six different configuration, designating each variant alphabetically. There were three separate four-door styles, the cabriolets D, E and F, which accommodated up to seven passengers. There were also three two-door cabriolets with seating anywhere from two to five people. The Cabriolet B and Cabriolet C had rear seating, the B with rear quarter windows while the C had blind quarters on the folding top. The Cabriolet A had blind rear quarters and accommodations behind the front seats only for the two occupants' luggage.

Sindelfingen had started out as an aircraft production facility which employed as many as 5,600 people during The Great War. Production of civilian aircraft continued for a short time after the war but soon Sindelfingen was designated as Daimler's production facility for Mercedes bodies. After the merger with Benz in 1926, Sindelfingen's function expanded. New equipment was added, including huge 1,000 ton presses capable of forming steel sheets 200 x 150 cm in size. By the end of 1934 employment at Sindelfingen had returned to over 5,000. It built coachwork also for other manufacturers, constructing 20,000 bodies for BMW and many for Wanderer.

Fifteen different trades were employed in building the wood-framed bodies constructed at Sindelfingen. Sindelfingen's supervisors worked constantly to streamline and refine the process to minimize handling and inventory. Costs were high and only the most skilled and dedicated craftsmen were utilized in production the fine coachwork. Beech and ash heartwood were used exclusively, naturally dried in huge sheds at the factory which held a year's supply of wood before sending each piece to one of the twelve drying kilns. Metal panels were stamped out on the giant presses, then individually fitted and welded together into subassemblies. Final assembly took place on a moving assembly line.

While most coachwork built at the Mercedes-Benz karosserie at Sindelfingen was taken to the Mercedes-Benz factories at Untertürkheim or Mannheim to be installed on their chassis, the most exclusive vehicles, such as the 540Ks, were assembled at Sindelfingen where their assembly, finish and trimming could be perfected by the company's best workers.

Production of the 540K ended in 1938 or 1939 but a few 540K chassis were held in reserve for later completion.

This particular example was Commission Number 396152 on chassis number 408429. It was completed in 1941 and was one of the last 540Ks built. It was delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin on February 12, 1941.

In 1946, it was sold by Kurt Nitschky of Motoradhaus in Karlsruhe to Viktor Reuter. Three months later it sold to Severn Loyd of Jackson, Tennessee, then disappeared for twelve years until it was owned in 1958 by Thomas Brothers in Phoenix. In 1977 it was owned by William A. O'Brien III in Reno. William O'Brien sold it to T.J. Day on October 15, 1985 and Mr. Day began a comprehensive concours quality restoration that was completed in 1988.

In July of 1988, at the Farwest Grand Classic, it was judged Third in Class.

This 540K is finished in red with chrome wire wheels, wide whitewall tires, dual exposed side-mounts with strap-on mirrors, dual spotlights, Bosch headlights and dip beam light, integrated trunk and dual taillights. The interior is upholstered in dove grey leather with grey carpets. There are tinted glass sun visors, an opening windshield and wood trim on the dashboard and around the windows.

Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen
Chassis number: 189392
Engine number: 189392

This Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A was built in July of 1938 and its coachwork was completed in October of 1939. It is a right-hand drive example that was originally built for the British market. With the outbreak of World War II, German cars were not exported to the United Kingdom, so this example was put into storage, unsold throughout 1940. In April of 1941, it was purchased through the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Helsinki, Finland, by Baron Gustaf Wrede who kept the car until after the war. He later sold it through the dealer, Gjestvang, in Stockholm, which passed it on to its next owner, Valdemar Stener, in February 1947. It was traded through dealer Travelli around 1948. Also in 1948, it was exported to the United States.

The next known owner was George Kreissle Sr. and George Kreissle Jr. of Sarasota, Florida, who acquired it around 1954. Over the next several years, the car was given a restoration by George Sr. and his son in their workshop. Its original dark green paint was changed to a lighter gray which it currently wears today. The work was completed in 1959 and over the next several decades, was driven sparingly. In 2004, it was sold to Herbert von Fragstein, who soon passed it on to the current caretaker.

by Dan Vaughan

The Mercedes-Benz 500K was introduced in 1934 with the 'K' representing a Kompressor, German for supercharger. In non-aspirated form, the engine produced 100 horsepower. With the adoption of the Kompressor, the horsepower jumped to an impressive 160 making them one of the fastest grand touring cars of their time. The vehicles rode on a 116-inch wheelbase.

In 1936 the 540K was introduced which increased power even further. The base version produced 115 horsepower while the supercharged increased horsepower to 180. The engine bay was lengthened and the wheelbase was extended by twelve inches which allowed for more stately and elegant vehicles. Chrome accents were used throughout added to the visual appeal. The vehicles were elegant, powerful, and produced in limited numbers. Production continued until 1940 with only 419 examples being produced.

The Mercedes-Benz was among the most desirable and elegant vehicles of their day. They were constructed of the finest materials available. The craftsmanship is legendary and undeniably excellent. Most of the chassis received coachwork by the Mercedes-Benz in-house coachworks facility named the Sindelfingen Body Works. The others were sent to coachbuilders such as Erdmann & Rossi.

When completed, the vehicles carried a price tag that only a few could afford. During World War II many were hidden and protected along with other priceless works of art.

Though the 540K models were all built to the same mechanical and chassis configurations, they varied based on their coachwork designs making many unique creations. Configurations varied such as four-seat cabriolets, long-tail roadsters, and high-door luxury styles. The vehicles were tailored to the buyer's requirements and requests.

With production low and craftsmanship at their peak, these vehicles are well sought after in modern times. They continue to win 'Best in Show' and class awards at various concourses throughout the country.

by Dan Vaughan

Two new – and very different – Mercedes models were displayed at the Berlin Motor Show in March 1934. One was the 130, Mercedes-Benz's first production car with a rear-mounted four-cylinder engine which developed 26 hp from a displacement of 1.3 liters. The other was the 500 K, an imposing, elegant sports car with supercharged eight-cylinder engine; with the supercharger engaged, it developed 160 hp from a displacement of 5,018 cc.

The 500 K was the successor to the 380 presented only one year earlier, and a descendant of the tremendously powerful, supercharged S, SS, SSK and SSKL sports cars – genuine muscle cars, as we would call them today, and virtually invincible in motor sport.

The first 500 K – 'K' for Kompressor = supercharger, to distinguish it from the 500 sedan without supercharger – had been designed as an elegant two- or four-seater sports car with roadster and cabriolet bodies tailored at the Daimler-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. With this model, the company bid farewell to the Roaring Twenties and the Big Four mentioned earlier. The latter had still had extremely firm chassis with rigid axles and leaf springs, i.e. hardly any damping at all, and their bodies were plain and above all functional, not to say uncomfortable.

The new supercharged Mercedes sports car appealed to well-heeled buyers because it was not only powerful but also more elegant, more comfortable and easier to handle than its predecessors – features welcomed in particular by the growing number of lady drivers.

Daimler-Benz had laid the foundations for this type of car as early as 1933 by introducing the 380, the first Mercedes-Benz sports car with swing axle. It was the first car that pampered its occupants with independent wheel suspension; the latter featured a sensational world first, a double-wishbone front axle that combined with the double-joint swing axle introduced in the 170 as early as 1931.

In this ground-breaking design, wheel location, springing and damping were for the first time separated from each other, creating a new level of precision in straightline stability. In its essence, this front axle, fitted like the rear axle with coil springs, has remained the design model for generations of automobiles throughout the world to this day, and it also featured in the 500 K, of course.

It was the customers' craving for power, however, that prompted the replacement of the 380, not exactly a lame duck with its supercharged 140 hp, by the 500 K only one year later. The newcomer's engine generated 160 hp with the supercharger engaged; even without the supercharger in action, it still had an impressive output of 100 hp at 3400 rpm. Depending on fuel quality, which varied greatly in those days, the compression ratio was between 1:5.5 and 1:6.5. The fuel was apportioned to the cylinders by a Mercedes-Benz double updraught carburetor. The driver engaged the double-vane Roots supercharger by depressing the accelerator pedal beyond a pressure point.

With the exception of first gear, both the standard four-speed and the optional five-speed transmissions were synchronized. A single-plate dry clutch linked the engine with the powertrain which transmitted engine power to the rear wheels. The car rolled along on wire-spoke wheels which were as elegant as they were robust.

All these features combined to permit a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour – a dream for sports cars in that day and age. The penalty was paid in the form of fuel consumption: between 27 and 30 liters were blown through the carburetor on 100 kilometers. The 110-liter tank in the rear gave the car a decent radius of action.

To meet the individual wishes of the demanding customers, three chassis variants were available for the 500 K: two long versions with a 3,290 millimeter wheelbase, differing in terms of powertrain and bodywork layout, and a short version with 2,980 millimeters.

The long variant, the so-called normal chassis with the radiator directly above the front axle, served as the backbone for the four-seater cabriolets 'B' (with four side windows) and 'C' (with two side windows) and, at a later stage, also for touring cars and sedans.

The roadsters, the two-seater cabriolet 'A' (with two side windows) and the ultra-modern, streamlined Motorway Courier, the first car with curved side windows and classified by the manufacturer as a sports sedan, were set up on a chassis on which radiator, engine, cockpit and all rearward modules were moved 185 millimeters back from the front axle. This configuration was a concession to the zeitgeist, a small trick that created the visual impression of a particularly long front-end and, therefore, the desired sporting appeal.

The most ravishing model of this species was the two-seater 500 K special roadster launched in 1936, a masterpiece in terms of its styling, with inimitably powerful and elegant lines. It has been filling onlookers with enthusiasm to this day, reflecting, as it does, the spirit of its day and age as well as the design perfection of the 500 K models. Its price tag – 28,000 Reichsmark – was 6,000 marks above the average price of 'simpler' models. People were able to buy a generously furnished house for that money.

The short-wheelbase chassis was used only for a few two-seaters with special bodies. On these models, the radiator was back right above the front axle, and the models carried the designations 500 K sports roadster, sports cabriolet and sports coupe.

The 500 K's chassis complete with helical-spindle steering had been adopted – though in further refined form – from the preceding 380: the new double-wishbone axle with coil springs at the front and the double-joint swing axle - complemented by double coil springs and additional transverse balancing spring – at the rear. The vacuum-boosted service brake acted hydraulically on all four wheels, the mechanical parking brake on the rear wheels. The chassis weighed as much as 1,700 kilograms; the complete car tipped the scales at 2,300 kilograms and the permissible gross weight was around 2,700 kilograms.

No matter what version of the 500 K you look at, the elegance of its body sends people into raptures even today: every single one had been given its own, unparalleled personality by the ingenious coachbuilders in Sindelfingen. Only few customers opted for bodywork tailored by independent bodybuilders to their own wishes (the price lists quoted the chassis as individual items), especially since the Sindelfingers rose above themselves in accommodating the customers' special wishes, for instance for individual fender versions, rear-end designs or interior appointments. Within two years, 342 units of the 500 K were produced.

In response to the virtually insatiable craving for performance on the part of well-heeled customers all over the world, the 500 K was replaced in 1936 by the 540 K with supercharged 180 hp engine. This model was sold to 319 motoring enthusiasts.

The history of supercharged Mercedes-Benz cars goes back to World War II and has its roots in aeroengine production. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft had introduced mechanical air compressors which supercharged the engines and thereby compensated for the power loss of aeroengines at higher altitudes, ensuring their stable performance.

The first Mercedes models with supercharged engines were displayed at the Berlin Motor Show in 1921 – between bicycles with auxiliary engines and mini-cars. They caused quite a stir among automotive experts. With the supercharger, an engine booster had been introduced which, from 1926, catapulted Mercedes passenger, sports and racing cars into a new dimension of performance.

by Mercedes-Benz