Few automobiles of the Classic Era could compare in prestige, grandeur, and performance to the Mercedes-Benz 540 K, inarguably one of the finest and most beautiful cars ever to come from Stuttgart. Engineered by Hans Nibel, the 540 K boasted a pushrod overhead-valve inline eight-cylinder engine displacing 5,401 cubic centimeters and was equipped with a double-vane Roots-type supercharger. When engaged at full throttle, the supercharger boosted output to 180 horsepower, enabling most any body style to reach 100 mph.

One of the all-time greatest designs on the 540 K chassis is the second series of the two-passenger Cabriolet A, which elegantly bridged the gap between the more formal Cabriolet designs and the renowned Special Roadster. Like the Special Roadster, this style had the radiator set back behind the front axle, enhancing the appearance of the long, sweeping front and rear fenders, much like those used on the roadsters. The spare tires were tucked into a recess on the tail which, along with a lower top, emphasized the sleek, truly special appearance.

Jan Melin’s well-known standard reference work on the model, Mercedes-Benz 8: The Supercharged 8-Cylinder Cars of the 1930s, indicates that only 32 examples of this version of the Cabriolet A were produced. Today they are considered among the most sought-after examples of coachwork on the 540 K, commanding attention and prestige perhaps second only to the revered roadsters, as well as much of their dramatic styling charms.

MS. JORDANS’ 540 K

Chassis number 154146 was ordered in Paris in late 1936 by one Martha Jordans, with delivery made in February 1937 to her German residence on Albertusstraße in Mönchengladbach, as documented by an accompanying copy of its commission paper and the related excerpt from the karosserie buch. A handwritten note on the latter indicates that only 10 bodies of the 826200 series were made, and this, as body number 826201, was the first.

Ms. Jordans reportedly later immigrated to the United States, bringing her 540 K with her. In the 1950s it re-emerged with Classic Car Club of America member Paul Hauck of Union, New Jersey, in whose ownership it was seen in the Spring 1957 issue of The Classic Car. It remained with Hauck until at least 1965 and is pictured, late in his ownership, on page 220 of the second volume of Melin’s book.

Dennis Adler’s article on the car, published in the October 1989 issue of Car Collector, indicates that it later spent time in San Francisco during the 1970s, as well as five years in Colorado. It then joined the large Mercedes collection of the late Thomas Kreid of California, in whose ownership it was held at the time of Adler’s article. In 1996 it returned to Germany in the hands of Alfred Richter of Lampertheim, who reportedly drove the car on several rallies and accumulated some 30,000 kilometers (18,641 miles), before passing it to another longtime Mercedes-Benz aficionado in the Golden State, Thomas Taffet.

Mr. Taffet commissioned Mercedes-Benz expert Jim Friswold of Tigard, Oregon to perform a ground-up restoration of the car, in which the body was removed, the chassis stripped and powder-coated, and the suspension rebuilt. The transmission and rear axle were fully disassembled and had new bearings and seals installed; the engine had been rebuilt by the vaunted German specialists Reifen-Wagner during Mr. Richter’s ownership and was found to require no work. The cosmetics were thoroughly attended to with all chrome replated, and the body refinished in an attractive deep burgundy hue with biscuit tan leather upholstery and high-quality German materials used for the top and headliner.

With the work completed, the car was exhibited at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning Third in Class, followed by achieving Best of Show at the 2015 Arizona Concours d’Elegance.

In 2017, the immediate prior owner acquired the car and then passed in trade several years later to the current caretaker, a longtime enthusiast of the supercharged Mercedes-Benz who has enjoyed several excellent examples. In his ownership it has benefited from further mechanical sorting, including the radiator being rebuilt by the foremost specialists at Blaak Radiators in the Netherlands, and rebuilding of the shocks, a valve job, and a new head gasket by the consignor’s in-house facility.

A beautiful example of the iconic 540 K, this car combines wonderful known provenance, beautiful condition, and one of the finest body styles to become a specimen that few presently on the market can equal.