Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner (W 29, 1938)

 Back to the future – ahead of its time: Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner (W 29), 1938. Built as a one-off model in the special vehicle production unit of the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant. Following its restoration and reconstruction to the original condition, the car is brought back into the public eye by Mercedes-Benz Classic in mid-2014. The measurement in the wind tunnel in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in May 2014 delivers a sensational drag coefficient of Cd = 0.36

Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner (W 29, 1938)

Built in 1938, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner was the pinnacle of the aerodynamically optimised vehicles developed by Mercedes-Benz in the 1930s. Based on the Stuttgart-based brand's top sports car model, this unique vehicle set benchmarks both in technical and aesthetic terms. It allowed Mercedes-Benz to take the lead in a development that occupied the entire automobile industry at that time: the rapid pace of technical change and the growing network of fast roads enabling higher potential cruising speeds. Consequently, the aerodynamics of powerful passenger cars became increasingly important with regard to efficiency too. With its aluminium body's flowing lines and low silhouette, minimal sources of disturbance on its surface and underbody cladding, the Streamliner applied research findings in an exemplary way, giving it a sensationally low drag coefficient (Cd value) of 0.36. In 2014, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the vehicle to the public once more following lavish restoration.

Technical data for the Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner (W 29) Cylinder arrangement: 8/in-line
Displacement: 5401 cc
Output: 85 kW (115 hp) or 132 kW (180 hp) with belt-driven supercharger
Top speed: 185 km/h