Mercedes-Benz always commanded a place as the premier supplier of fine motor cars to the political, artistic and commercial elite of the day. The 540 K was no exception, representing a highlight of German motor vehicle development before World War II. The broad array of models in all market segments helped Mercedes-Benz survive the worst days of the Great Depression, with production growing from only 6,000 cars in 1932 to over 15,000 in 1935.

Yet, while Mercedes-Benz maintained its factories and employment 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 introduced coil spring four-wheel independent suspension using parallel wishbones at the front and swing axles at the rear. These massive and high speed automobiles were designed from a clean sheet of paper, sharing little with the marque’s predecessors, except for one visceral attribute: each was fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s driver-controlled supercharger that boosted engine output by about 60% in short, full power bursts.

The series began with the Mercedes-Benz 380, introduced at the Berlin Motor Show in 1933 and produced only for two years, 1933-34, before being phased out in favor of the much more powerful 500 K in 1934. The 500 K, in turn, was succeeded during 1936 by one of the ultimate motor cars of the thirties, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K. Offering more power than its predecessor, the 540 K was capable of all-day, high speed touring while carrying elaborate and extremely comfortable coachwork. Such capabilities were not inexpensive, and as a result, the 380, 500 K and 540 K accounted for an average of less than one percent of production.

The ultimate Mercedes-Benz 540 K was the Spezial Roadster. Exceptional at the time, the 540 K Spezial Roadster has subsequently firmly established itself at the pinnacle of classic cars. Priced at 28,000 Reichsmark (about US$12,000 in Germany at the prevailing exchange rate). The New York importer asked $14,000 landed in the US – about 40% more than the most expensive catalog-bodied Cadillac V-16.