1936 | Mercedes-Benz 540 K
Price on request
1 / 13
1936 | Mercedes-Benz 540 K
Price on request
1936 | Mercedes-Benz 540 K
Price on request
Dealer
Description
Description
· Original Mercedes-Benz 540 K chassis from 1936
· Original Mercedes-Benz 540 K engine
· Refined interior in light-brown leather, burr walnut dashboard with mother-of-pearl-effect instrument panel
· Body in the style of the legendary Autobahnkurier, rebuilt 2005 – 2007 by Kompressor specialist Rudolf Wagner in Landshut
· Body shape based on the precise measurement of a surviving original Autobahnkurier
· Not merely a show piece: regularly driven, well run-in and consistently maintained
One of the most spectacular body styles in Mercedes-Benz pre-war history
The Mercedes-Benz Autobahnkurier is without doubt one of the most extraordinary and fascinating automobiles of the pre-war era. Its unique, streamlined coupé body caused a considerable stir as early as the first half of the 1930s. Alongside the legendary Special Roadster, the Autobahnkurier remains to this day one of the most spectacular body styles ever produced by Mercedes-Benz before the war.
Originally, only six examples were built – four on the Mercedes-Benz 500 K and two on the 540 K. To the best of current knowledge, only two original cars have survived worldwide. One is part of the renowned collection of Arturo Keller, the other is in a museum in Tehran. Both are regarded as not for sale, making them among the rarest and most coveted examples of German automotive craftsmanship.
Around 20 years ago, the Wagner company sent two of its staff to Tehran specifically to document the original Autobahnkurier preserved there in every detail. The car was measured to the millimetre in order to make as authentic a rebuild as possible.
The subsequent rebuild took a few years. The result is an automobile that is virtually indistinguishable in appearance from an original. Of particular significance is the fact that an original Mercedes-Benz 540 K chassis was used as its technical basis.
Unlike many other elaborately reconstructed automobiles, this Autobahnkurier is by no means merely a show piece. Over the years the car has been driven regularly, is beautifully run-in and has been consistently maintained. It thus combines its extraordinary historic appearance with the opportunity to experience the fascination of such an automobile where it belongs – on the road.
The standing the Autobahnkurier enjoys among international collectors was impressively demonstrated by two major awards: in 2019, the original Mercedes-Benz Autobahnkurier from the Arturo Keller collection was named “Best of Show” at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This was followed in 2021 by the prestigious “Best of Show” victory at the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – a sensation, and one of the highest honours a historic automobile can receive.
Also worth noting is the special position that exceptionally styled coupés occupy in the international collector market. Cars such as the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic or the Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupé show that particularly rare and spectacularly styled closed body variants can indeed achieve higher values than open cars. The decisive factors are not rarity alone, but above all the uniqueness of the design, the historical significance and the particular aura of the automobile in question.
Against this background, the exceptional status of the Mercedes-Benz Autobahnkurier becomes particularly clear. Should one of the two surviving original cars ever come onto the market, it is quite conceivable that it would set a new price record.
The Mercedes-Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier offered here, by contrast, is likely to cost only a fraction of the hypothetical value of an original. It therefore offers the rare opportunity to own – and genuinely experience – one of the most fascinating chapters of Mercedes-Benz pre-war history in a form that is virtually true to the original.
With its unmistakable streamlined body, its original 540 K chassis and its exceptionally elaborate five-year reconstruction, this Autobahnkurier embodies an automotive aesthetic that remains unrivalled to this day.
Alongside the Mercedes-Benz Special Roadster, the Autobahnkurier is without doubt one of the most impressive and spectacular creations of the Mercedes-Benz pre-war era.
Condition & Registration
Condition & Registration
- Registered
- Ready to drive
Inspection Report
Not available
Inspection Report
Not available
Have this vehicle inspected by experts!
- Transparency over 128 inspection points
- Condition grades for each component
- Paint thickness measurement
Technical Details
Technical Details
Vehicle data
- Make
- Mercedes-Benz
- Model series
- 540
- Model name
- 540 K
- Manufacturer code
- W 29
- First registration date
- Not provided
- Year of manufacture
- 1936
- Mileage (read)
- 13,300 km
- Chassis number
- Not provided
- Engine number
- Not provided
- Gearbox number
- Not provided
- Number of owners
- Not provided
Technical details
- Body style
- Saloon (2-doors)
- Power (kW/hp)
- 132/180
- Cubic capacity (cm³)
- 5401
- Cylinders
- 8
- Doors
- 2
- Steering
- Left (LHD)
- Gearbox
- Manual
- Gears
- 4
- Transmission
- Rear
- Front brakes
- Drum
- Rear brakes
- Drum
- Fuel type
- Petrol
Individual Configuration
Individual Configuration
- Exterior color
- Black
- Interior color
- Brown
- Interior material
- Leather
More vehicles from Eberhard Thiesen GmbH & Co. KG
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Similar vehicles
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…