The Mercedes 540K was an evolution of the 500K model. Equipped with a 5.4-liter 8-cylinder in-line engine associated with a Rootes compressor, it was one of the rare cars of its time to be capable of exceeding 160 km / h top speed. Presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1936, it received beautiful coupé and cabriolet bodies, mostly made in Sindelfingen by Hermann Ahrens, the head of the division of special orders in Mercedes.