1936-1938 Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K Special Roadster

Designed by Friedrich Geiger
In the mid-1930s, the 500K and then the 540K reigned atop the Mercedes-Benz car line, and their most fabulous iteration was the Special Roadster. Casting a shadow greater than a Ford Expedition and sitting astride a ten-inch-longer wheelbase--yet effectively seating only two people--the Special Roadster was both elegant and extravagant. After driving a 1937 example, our own Phil Llewellin dubbed it the "Colossus of Roads." But it's a testament to the loveliness of the Sindelfingen coachwork that the Special Roadsters look graceful instead of massive. The cars embody elegance on the grandest scale.