1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K: The Reawakening!

Text: Gautam Sen Images: Makarand Baokar

Hidden away for nearly half a century in a fortress-like building called Daskot at Walkeshwar in Mumbai, one of India’s two surviving Mercedes-Benz 540Ks was known to enthusiasts but rarely seen. Part of the legendary collection assembled by pioneering Indian collector Pranlal Bhogilal (1935–2011), Daskot housed an extraordinary array of historic automobiles. These included several Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, among them two Phantom IIIs, a Phantom V, two 3½ Litre Bentleys and an 8 Litre, as well as other rarities such as the sleek Invicta S100 and the elegant, extremely rare Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc convertible.

Yet it was the other Mercedes-Benz at Daskot, an astonishing 1936 540K, that remained completely concealed behind the locked doors of a standalone garage on the edge of the palace complex. A true sleeping beauty, it lay dormant even as visitors admired most of the 130-plus cars that formed the core of Pranlal Bhogilal’s Dastan Autoworld Museum in Ahmedabad. That museum itself housed exceptional machines including a Maybach, a Hispano-Suiza, a Cord, and countless Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Packards and Cadillacs.

When Bhogilal’s heirs, his daughter Chamundeshwari and son-in-law Brijesh Chinai, began restoring the collection, the long-awaited revival of the Mercedes-Benz 540K became a moment keenly anticipated by Indian enthusiasts.

Chassis number 130908 appears to be among the earliest examples of the 540K and was likely imported into India by Daimler-Benz’s Bombay distributor, Dadajee, Dhackjee & Co, soon after the model’s debut. Although British India overwhelmingly favoured English marques, particularly Rolls-Royce and Bentley, some princely buyers were drawn to speed and performance. This explains why more than half a dozen Mercedes-Benz 680 S, SS and SSK models were brought into the country.

Despite their sporting success and dramatic aesthetics, Daimler-Benz recognised that many affluent customers, including Indian royalty, desired luxurious high-performance cars for daily use rather than uncompromising racing machines. Under chief engineer Hans Nibel, the company developed a new generation of supercharged cars designed for smooth, effortless high-speed touring. The first, the Mercedes-Benz 380 (W22), debuted in February 1933 but was considered underpowered and soon replaced by the more capable 500K (W29).

Nibel focused on refined power delivery and exceptional smoothness. The 500K’s inline eight-cylinder engine – over a metre long – was as impressive as it was majestic. Around 350 examples were produced between 1934 and 1936. Several came to India, though only two remain there today: one, beautifully restored, resides in Mumbai; the other remains remarkably original and largely single owner.

The 540K represented the ultimate evolution of the 500K and was unveiled at the 1936 Paris Salon. While some historians suggest customer demand drove its development, it is equally plausible that Mercedes-Benz, buoyed by the confidence of a resurgent 1930s Germany, sought an even more powerful flagship. Using the same supercharger system but paired with a larger engine, the 5.4-litre 540K produced 180bhp at 3400 rpm and could reach 170 km/h, an extraordinary figure for the era, especially given the comfort and security it offered.

 Available in a range of body styles – convertible, roadster, tourer and coupé – the 540K stands as one of the purest expressions of the golden age of classic motoring. Its rarity further enhances its mystique, with just over 400 examples built between 1936 and 1939. Only two are known to be extant in India: chassis numbers 130902 and 130908.

 Chassis 130902, located in a private collection in Pune, requires restoration. Its open tourer body, with four spacious seats and a retractable soft top is especially unusual and may be unique.

Chassis 130908, the focus of this article, is believed to have been acquired by Yashwantrao Martandrao Mukne, who became Maharaja of Jawhar in 1938. At the time of purchase, the 20-year-old heir was still under regency, with his mother, Rajmata Saguna Bai Mukne, governing the small princely state north of Bombay. Though Jawhar was modest in wealth, Yashwantrao Mukne had a fondness for fast, expensive cars and even owned a 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé in England.

The 540K, however, spent much of its life in Mumbai, parked in the basement of Sterling Apartments, where the maharaja maintained a residence. Mumbai collector Harit Trivedi recalls playing around the car as a child, noting its diesel badge and red number plate. He vividly remembers seeing it driven on Altamount Road by Pranlal Bhogilal – clear “evidence that the car had joined an already extraordinary collection,” recalls Trivedi.

 When Bhogilal acquired the car in 1976, it had been fitted with a Perkins P6 diesel engine, much to his disappointment. Fortunately, the original engine was still present and was retrieved and reinstalled by mechanic Anji Mehra. Unfortunately, a badly worn gearbox proved impossible to fix at the time, condemning the car to four decades of storage.

Following Bhogilal’s passing in 2011, Chamundeshwari and Brijesh Chinai resolved to revive the collection. The 540K, one of its crown jewels, was entrusted to respected restorer Marespand Dadachandji, with Darayush Netarwala providing technical support. The painstaking restoration was completed in just 12 months, allowing the reborn Mercedes-Benz 540K to be unveiled at the 2024 Oberoi Concours.

Most importantly, this magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540K will be on display at the FIVA stand as Salon Rétromobile opens today in Paris. If you are in the city over the coming days, through 1 February, be sure to visit Salon Rétromobile and see the car at Stand A-085, Hall 7.2.