The Mercedes-Benz 540 K was a legend of its day.

Together with its precursor, the 500 K, the two models underpinned the Stuttgart marque’s driver-orientated luxury portfolio throughout the 1930s.

Indeed, the 540 K adopted the same independently sprung chassis design from the car it succeeded, while its increased engine capacity kept things interesting from behind the wheel.

The straight-eight engine—newly bored out to 5,401 cc for the 540 K—was attached to a Roots-type supercharger, in many instances switchable on demand.

In full flight, with the added push of the Kompressor , the 540 K could achieve speeds approaching 170 km/h.

The 540 K was offered by Mercedes-Benz in many forms.

Chassis construction was completed by the company’s Untertürkheim factory, while the marque’s in-house Singelfingen coachbuilding facility negated the need for customers to look elsewhere for attractive cabriolet or coupé body designs.

The model was most popular in Cabriolet B specification, with 190 ...