1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster (long-tail, high-door, covered spare)
- Engine
- Supercharged inline-eight
- Colour
- Two-tone maroon
A Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster in the rarest configuration: long-tail, high-door coachwork by Sindelfingen with a covered rear spare beneath a flush decklid. One of only three surviving examples of this form, it was commissioned for King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan in 1937 and delivered to Kabul that autumn. Wartime storage at the Afghan Embassy in Paris was followed by a period in London, then decades on display in Vernon Jarvis's Early American Museum at Silver Springs, Florida. The car retains its original mechanical components and a cosmetic refurbishment applied in 1953, having covered fewer than 13,000 miles in total.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$9,905,000
- 1937-09-01 →Factory deliveryMohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistanfull documentation
Ordered in May 1937 and delivered to Kabul in September 1937. At the start of WWII the car was transported to France and held at the Afghan embassy in Paris, remaining there until 1948.
- 1948 → 1953Acquisition unknownSon-in-law of Mohammed Zahir Shah (Afghan prince)partial documentation
Received the car as a gift from the King and relocated it to England in 1950, using it occasionally in London before selling it in 1953.
- 1953 → 1953Private saleChipstead Motorspartial documentation
London dealership that briefly held the car during summer 1953 before it was purchased on behalf of Vernon Jarvis.
- 1953-12-22 → 1986Private saleVernon D. Jarvisfull documentation
Illinois businessman and early American collector of prewar automobiles who displayed the car at his Florida museum complex. Upon acquisition the odometer was reset and cosmetic work including a two-tone maroon finish and new interior was completed.
- 1986 →Private saleRobert Bahrepartial documentation
Purchased the car along with the entire contents of the Early American Museum. Subsequently featured the car in a 1990 publication before selling it to the consignors as he shifted focus to developing a motor racing venue in New Hampshire.
- Date unknownPrivate saleCurrent long-term owners (consignors)partial documentation
Kept the car in largely undisturbed preservation, rarely displaying it publicly and avoiding restoration work throughout their tenure.
Competition
- 1958Sebring car show
One of the car's rare public outings while in the Jarvis museum collection; documented by photographs held on file.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1953Restoration
Upon acquisition the car received a two-tone maroon repaint and new floor mats, hood cover, and leather seat upholstery. The odometer was also reset at this time.
Work described in the Jarvis acquisition document; the car showed 11,700 miles at purchase and was reset to zero.
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