Rétromobile - Mercedes Benz 540 K and The Race That Never Was

February 22, 2015
Story By
John Brooks

Continuing this Rétromobile coverage, I am going with what I think is arguably the most elegant and imposing car at this year's Rétromobile was the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner, even in the face of some very impressive competition.

It was originally designed to take part in the long-distance Berlin-Rome race, due to be run in the autumn of 1938. This was postponed until 1939 and then ultimately cancelled completely, after the outbreak of the Second World War. From mid-1938 onwards, the streamlined model was used by the German branch of Dunlop for testing high-speed tyres.

Based on a chassis from the standard-production 540 K model, featuring a lightweight aluminum body-shell that was extensively developed in the wind tunnel. The "Streamliner" is a unique vehicle that is extremely efficient with lightweight construction and sophisticated aerodynamics to give ultimate performance for its time. Tomorrow we will visit another car whose fate was cut short during hard times, a rare Bugatti that was produced in a very limited run.

Rétromobile - Mercedes Benz 540 K and The Race That Never Was

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