1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster: Best in Show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Two hundred sixteen cars from 18 countries and 30 American states took part in the Pebble Beach competition this year. But for one of them, the Concours d'Elegance finished with confetti and acclaim. It is a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster. And it is a car with quite a story.

According to a copy of the original Kommission paper, the model, one of the three remaining long-tailed roadsters with a covered spared wheel, was ordered back in May 1937 by the King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, and it was delivered to him in September. The last king of Afghanistan was only 23 when he purchased the Benz. Four years before, he had become king after the assassination of his father.

His paternal uncles, to whom he ceded power, strengthened links with the international community, reaching agreements on foreign assistance, diplomacy, and trade with states like Germany, Italy, and Japan. This is how the import of luxury goods into Afghanistan, cars included, became easier.

When World War II started, he sent the car to Paris, France, to be stored at the Afghan embassy. After the War, in 1948, King Mohammad gave it to his son-in-law, the Prince of Afghanistan, who shipped it to London. He sold it in the summer of 1953 to a London-based dealership. Mr. A.W. Giles of Old Catton, Norwich, England, bought it in December 1953. The Mercedes then began its life in the United States: it was shipped to Jacksonville, Florida.

Illinois businessman and early American collector of Full Classics Vernon D. Jarvis put his name on the short list of owners of the 540K Special Roadster. He was the owner of one of the most spectacular collections of pre-war automobiles.

Then the roadster ended up in the hands of enthusiast Robert Bahre, who sold it to the current owners. And now, it has been brought to Pebble Beach by Jim Patterson of the Patterson Collection in Louisville, Kentucky.

The competition started with the 25th Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, which is a drive along 70 miles of coastal roads. The automobiles that cruise in the tour have the advantage if they tie in the class competition.

For four whole days, the juries checked every inch of the participating cars and were eventually impressed by the time and thought invested in the restoration of the 86-year old roadster. The restoration, not an actual thorough one, happened in 1950. It was more of a cosmetic one. The powertrain, transmission, and all the mechanical components kept their ground over the years. So the car holds an impressive degree of originality. Even the floor mats are still there, while the Dunlop tires have not been changed since 1953.

The Jarvis purchase document reveals that the Mercedes had 11,700 miles in 1953. But the odometer was reset, and it now shows only 883 miles.

The automobile had to fight against a sibling, the Auriga Collection's 1930 Mercedes-bent 710 SS Special Roadster, but also the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet presented by Gregor Fiskin, while Peter Mullin Automotive Museum also came with a significant contender in the run: the 1939 Delahaye 165 Figoni et Falaschi Cabriolet.

Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz have been battling for the Best in Show award for years. With this Sunday's victory, Mercedes takes the lead, reaching a total of 10 wins at Pebble Beach. The model also left home with the Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award.

It is not the first time a 540K has become the Best in Show in Pebble Beach. Back in 2021, a Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahn Kurier received the trophy, while 1973 was the year of the 540K Special Cabriolet A.

Other winners at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

While the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster left with the Best in Show trophy, the event at Pebble Beach brought joy to other competitors as well. It was a 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Cabriolet the winner of the Elegance Award.

The Special Award Alex Ulman Trophy went to the 1936 Hispano-Suiza J-12 Saoutchik Cabriolet, part of the Keller Collection in California. A 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall left with the Ansel Adams Award.

The Alfa Romeo that lost to the Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster in the run for the Best in Show, the 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet, found consolation in the triumph in the Class L-1: Prewar Preservation.

Another Alfa Romeo, a 6C 2500 SS Touring Spider, received the Chairman's Trophy.

The oldest car that made it to Pebble Beach this year was a 1908 Benz 105 HP Prinz Heinrich Two Seat Race Car, that ended in the third place in Class A-2: Vanderbilt Cup Era Race Cars.