Photo: Mecum
The Monterey car auction organized in California last week by Mecum was full of exciting vehicles, ranging from the American classics everyone loves to customs that need acquired taste to be appreciated. At the top of the food chain however sat the European classic only the best of us can really cherish and, most importantly, afford.
Part of this last category is the red 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K we have here. Together with other multi-million dollar cars it went under the hammer with high hopes. People were interested in it, of course, but it ultimately failed to sell.
In the history books of exciting vehicles, the 540K is a very rare entry. It was only produced by the German carmaker between 1936 and 1940, and it is one of the most valuable cars one can get hold of today.
Styled in the classic design of the era, with flamboyant fenders pulled over the classy wheels, large headlights placed ahead of and separated from the grille, and two small windscreens to partially enclose the interior when the top is down, the car is truly a sight to behold.
The Merc is one of just 419 of its kind to have ever been made, and it comes with a few attributes that are unique to it. Enough of them, it seemed, for the owner to be confident they would get $4.5 million at the California auction.
As was the habit back then, Mercedes produced the 540K as an in-house built chassis over which anyone who had the skills and money could install a body. Sure, Mercedes did that too, but this car is not a fully German car.
It seems the chassis of the 540K is one of about 70 to have been delivered with no body on. It was ordered from and arrived in London, where a shop called Mayfair Carriage Works, based in the British capital, handled the bodywork.
The beautiful metalwork was pulled over chassis and the dual-carburetor 5,401cc inline-eight engine (115 horsepower as standard, 180 hp when the supercharger kicked in) and the four-speed transmission.
The car somehow survived the harsh years of the Second World War and after fighting ended it somehow reached Canada. It stayed there for a short while, and then was moved to the U.S., where it trekked the local specialized shows, the most recent being the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
With all of the above hardware and history, the car hopefully crossed the auction block, but somewhat miserably failed to meet the $4.5 million expected by the owner. The highest someone was willing to pay for it was $2.6 million, not enough for the 540K to move to a new home.
What that means is the Mercedes is still up for grabs, and chances are it will eventually find the right buyer. We'll of course update as soon as it does.
In the history books of exciting vehicles, the 540K is a very rare entry. It was only produced by the German carmaker between 1936 and 1940, and it is one of the most valuable cars one can get hold of today.
Styled in the classic design of the era, with flamboyant fenders pulled over the classy wheels, large headlights placed ahead of and separated from the grille, and two small windscreens to partially enclose the interior when the top is down, the car is truly a sight to behold.
The Merc is one of just 419 of its kind to have ever been made, and it comes with a few attributes that are unique to it. Enough of them, it seemed, for the owner to be confident they would get $4.5 million at the California auction.
As was the habit back then, Mercedes produced the 540K as an in-house built chassis over which anyone who had the skills and money could install a body. Sure, Mercedes did that too, but this car is not a fully German car.
It seems the chassis of the 540K is one of about 70 to have been delivered with no body on. It was ordered from and arrived in London, where a shop called Mayfair Carriage Works, based in the British capital, handled the bodywork.
The beautiful metalwork was pulled over chassis and the dual-carburetor 5,401cc inline-eight engine (115 horsepower as standard, 180 hp when the supercharger kicked in) and the four-speed transmission.
The car somehow survived the harsh years of the Second World War and after fighting ended it somehow reached Canada. It stayed there for a short while, and then was moved to the U.S., where it trekked the local specialized shows, the most recent being the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
With all of the above hardware and history, the car hopefully crossed the auction block, but somewhat miserably failed to meet the $4.5 million expected by the owner. The highest someone was willing to pay for it was $2.6 million, not enough for the 540K to move to a new home.
What that means is the Mercedes is still up for grabs, and chances are it will eventually find the right buyer. We'll of course update as soon as it does.
Google News