Chassis number 408371 was among the first of the later-production Mercedes-Benz 540 Ks with the most developed drivetrain, including a five-speed transmission that much improved flexibility for the road.

It was the only 540 K bodied to this design, an evolution, if you will, of the standard Cabriolet A, with the raked, vee’d windshield and low, sloping tail of the famed “long tail” Special Roadster, as well as a rather low top.

The result was a much smoother and sportier design, well-suited to the performance of the 540 K chassis.

While initially delivered to Paris on 29 April 1939, the car made its way stateside by the early post-war era.

It was acquired by the popular singer James Melton, who in this era when radio ruled the American entertainment industry, broke many hearts and made a great deal of money with his silvery tenor voice.

Melton was the celebrity “car guy” of the 1930s and 1940s, gathering an impressive collection of largely Brass Era automobiles in a period when it...