1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster
- Engine
- 5.4L supercharged straight-eight with Roots-type compressor, top speed ~170 km/h
- Colour
- Metallic silver
Chassis 169394 is a Mercedes-Benz 540 K originally completed in February 1938 as a Cabriolet B, intended for Maurice Zamaria of Jaffa but apparently never delivered owing to the outbreak of war. Discovered in Germany after World War II with its body destroyed, the surviving matching-numbers chassis and supercharged straight-eight engine were later used as the basis for a bespoke long-tail Special Roadster body constructed by Prahl Klassische Automobile between 2004 and 2006, finished in metallic silver over black leather.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €2,007,500 (≈ $2.21M)
- 1938 →Factory deliveryMaurice Zamariafull documentation
Resident of Jaffa, intended recipient of the car as a new Cabriolet B; factory records indicate a despatch date in April 1938, though the vehicle is reported never to have left Germany due to deteriorating pre-war conditions.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownConsignor's collectionpartial documentation
Car was held as a static exhibit within the consignor's museum-style private collection; the period of display meant mechanical systems require inspection before road use.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2004RestorationPrahl Klassische Automobile
Comprehensive reconstruction carried out retaining the original matching-numbers chassis and supercharged engine; a new long-tail high-door Special Roadster body was fabricated in period style and finished in metallic silver with a black leather interior.
Work undertaken at Prahl's facility in Preußisch Oldendorf, Germany, and completed by 2006; the brief specified Special Roadster rather than replicating the original Cabriolet B coachwork.
- —Repair
Original Cabriolet B bodywork was reported to have been destroyed, most likely by munitions during or following the Second World War, leaving only the chassis and engine surviving.
Precise date and circumstances unknown; the damage predates the recorded post-war discovery of the car in Germany.
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