1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sport Cabriolet A, the Best of Show at the 2015 Arizona Concours d’Elegance. Photo by Bob Golfen.
Now in its second year, the Arizona Concours d’Elegance is quickly establishing itself as a desirable early stop on the annual concours d’elegance circuit, timed to coincide with the frenzy of activity surrounding the Scottsdale auctions. This year’s Best of Show winner, a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sport Cabriolet owned by Thomas Taffett of Chatsworth, California, is a Pebble Beach veteran and was once featured as a Hemmings Find of the Day.
Ordered new by Martha Jennings of Moenchengladbach, Germany, the Mercedes-Benz, carrying chassis number 154146, left the Stuttgart works for the coachworks in Sindelfingen in November of 1936. There, it was one of ten 540K models fitted with Sport Cabriolet A bodywork, recognizable by its long, sweeping fenders and trunk-mounted spare tires that essentially required the use of fitted luggage, carried on a shelf in the passenger compartment behind driver and passenger.
Power came from a 5.4-liter inline eight-cylinder engine, fitted with a gear-driven supercharger activated by the driver and mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Performance would surely have been exceptional for the day, perhaps taxing the stopping ability of the car’s four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Underneath, a four-wheel independent suspension provided both a comfortable ride and handling on par with the best grand touring cars of the period.
Photo by Jeff Koch.
When Jennings emigrated to the United States, the Mercedes came with her. It would remain on these shores, passing through a series of owners, until acquired by a German collector 1996. He kept the car for just one year, selling it to fellow countryman Alfred Richter in 1997. Richter would fund a mechanical and cosmetic restoration of the car, which he routinely ran in vintage rallies, accumulating nearly 19,000 miles in 15 years of ownership.
The car passed to its current owner in 2012, but not before it was offered for sale (at a now-bargain price of $1.75 million) by Coys of Kensington and featured as the June 15, 2012, Hemmings Find of the Day. Once acquired by Taffett, it was sent off for a full restoration by Jim Friswold of Tigard, Oregon. Its original silver gray paint was changed to burgundy, and the dark blue leather interior was replaced by period-correct biscuit leather. The work on the car was completed in June of 2014, and the car debuted at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it captured a third place award in the Mercedes-Benz category.
1956 Ferrari 250 GT Zagato Berlinetta. Photo by Jeff Koch.
The Arizona Concours d’Elegance proved far luckier for the prewar Mercedes-Benz, as the car took home both a European Classic category win and the award for Best of Show. This was not without controversy, since the same automobile is due to cross the stage at RM’s Arizona sale later this week, something that violates the entry rules established by the concours. Per a concours representative, the Mercedes-Benz was submitted and approved for entry by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, on behalf of the car’s owner, months before the decision was made to sell the car. Though the concours was unaware of the pending sale until after the award was given, a spokesman advises that steps will be taken to prevent such occurrences at future events.
1937 A.C. 16/80 roadster, once owned by Frank Lloyd Wright. Photo by Jeff Koch.
Other key 2015 Arizona Concours d’Elegance award winners included a 1933 Pierce-Arrow “Silver Arrow,” owned by the Academy of Art University, which captured the Most Elegant Pre-War Award; a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Zagato, owned by the Rocky Mountain Auto Collection, which captured the Most Elegant Post-War award; a 1937 A.C. 16/80 “Ace” roadster that once belonged to Frank Lloyd Wright but is now owned by David and Rochelle Buice, which captured the Historic Vehicle Association award; and a 1953 Cadillac Ghia, once owned by Rita Hayworth but now part of the Petersen Museum’s collection, which took home a Director’s award.
Look for detailed coverage in the May issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. For complete results, visit ArizonaConcours.com.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1yj9ves
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