During the 1930s the supercharged eight-cylinder Mercedes-Benz was justifiably held to be one of the greatest performance automobiles in the world, offering a state-of-the-art, competition-inspired chassis and an especially potent engine that wailed like a banshee with the blower engaged.

It was favored by the wealthiest enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic, including everyone from captains of industry to socialites and world leaders, who loved driving the cars on the wide, smooth modern highways springing up.

To this day the models are highly favored by enthusiasts for their driving ability, as well as for the beauty of the coachwork built by the factory works at Sindelfingen, often accented by large Bosch headlights and by the trademark flamboyant chromed side exhaust emerging, tentacle-like, through the hood.

Mercedes-Benz produced the convertible cabriolet bodies for the 540 K in three series, following the steady evolution of worldwide automotive design during the 1930s.

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