1936 Mercedes Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet by Sindelfingen

1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet by Sindelfingen
Sold for $1,540,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014
Chassis no. 130913
Engine no. 130913
Body no. 200338
115/180 bhp, 5,401 cc overhead-valve inline eight-cylinder engine with accelerator-actuated Roots supercharger, twin-updraft pressurized carburetors, four-speed manual transmission, independent wishbone and coil-spring front suspension, independent swing-arm rear suspension with trailing arms, double coil springs, and lever-action shocks, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 128 in.
•A fully unique commission from Sindelfingen
•Styling cues inspired by the Autobahnkurier
•Built for American aristocrat William A.M. Burden Jr.
•Six enthusiast owners from new
•Well known, respected, and one of a kind
The Burden family made its original fortune in horseshoes, reportedly shoeing the entire Union Army during the Civil War. For obvious reasons, the bottom eventually fell out of the horseshoe business, but William A.M. Burden Sr. and his brother, James, both preserved the family’s good standing by marrying Vanderbilts. William’s nuptials were to Florence Adele Twombly, who had inherited not only Vanderbilt wealth from her mother but also a railroad fortune from her father and who was raised at the legendary Florham, a New Jersey estate so vast that it eventually became a college campus.
The funds that the Burdens curated would be preserved and maintained by their son, W.A.M. Jr., also known as “Bill,” who established one of the first “family offices” in Manhattan, to manage his family’s wealth through investments and careful accounting. When not overseeing the family finances, Bill Burden was active in Republican politics, serving as the United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1959 to 1961. He was a New York society stalwart who could count on a table at La Caravelle and whose well-honed taste was reflected both in his presidency of the Museum of Modern Art and in his personal automobiles.
Over the years, the Burden carriage house was home to an ever-changing range of the finest cars that money could buy. Bespoke commissions from all the great coachbuilders flowed through the family office for Bill Burden’s approval: pencil drawings of suggestions from Waterhouse, blueprints from Brewster for the latest Rolls-Royce, and original designs by Gordon Buehrig to tempt the prospective Duesenberg owner. Burden did, indeed, buy a Duesenberg, as well as a Hispano-Suiza J12 and a fully one-off, black-on-black Speedster that had been dreamed up with Harry Miller and combined front-wheel-drive and a Miller-built V-16.
In 1936, planning on travels in Europe, Burden went to Mercedes-Benz for a 540 K, and as with his other cars, standard bodywork for the car was simply out of the question. Reportedly, his request was for a design influenced by the factory’s great racing cars of the era. By the time it evolved into metal, Sindelfingen’s commission, number 219611, had become the Special Cabriolet shown here.
After being delivered to Paris in August 1936, the Burden 540 K in its final form bore little resemblance to the contemporary W125. Instead, the influence of the car’s owner and the Miller-Burden Speedster is apparent in the separate fenders, its lack of running boards, and the monochromatic black-on-black color scheme, as well as the blackwall tires and very little exposed bright metal trim. French design influences also crept in, with a wonderfully sloped and flared grille, which channels period Delahayes, and curvaceous fender lines drawn to a teardrop taper, which were nearly identical to those found on the famed Autobahnkurier Coupes. Even the usual 540 K hood louvers took on a gentle roundness.
The car borrowed the idea of a spare inset and flush with the rear deck from the 540 K Special Roadster, keeping the wheel out of sight except from a direct rear view. Yet, with plans for “grand touring” in Bill Burden’s mind, provisions were made to mount a second wheel on top of the first, as is shown in some period photographs of the car.
Burden’s European touring in the car was cut short by the advent of World War II, and when he returned to the United States, his 540 K came with him. Later in the 1940s, the car was sold to its second owner, of Queens, New York, in whose ownership it was a daily driver until his passing two decades later.
More Info Here:
Robert Myrick Photography