The sleek and racy looking sports car with 8 cylinder engine of 5.4 litres developed 180 bhp when the supercharger was engaged, giving a speed in excess of 100 mph. It had all independent suspension. Wheelbase 11'2'' Tracking 5'1,5''.

The Mercedes-Benz 540K was a large car that was built as a 2 seater convertible, 4 seater coupé and as a 7 seater limousine. The car had a V8 5.4 liter engine that delivered 115 HP as standard. A supercharger was built in which could give a peak of 180 HP. In total, about 750 were built, of which about 500 were the 2-seater convertible.

The (Y20-1) 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540k was introduced in 1981. Although the first 'I' type (straw coloured) box and the baseplate both stated that it was a 1937 model all later boxes state that it is a 1938 model.

Variations/Rarities: The first release was silver & black with red interior. It had an interior that was only *28mm wide which was a loose fit so it was soon widened to 30mm. The interior was usually red plastic but has also been seen in amber plastic. The model can have chrome 12 or 24 spoke wheels or red 12 spoke wheels.
Then came the white body model with red trim which was followed by the all red body.
The final release was the enhanced all black Mercedes which was made in Macau. This version had the '540K' on the baseplate repositioned to make room for the screw hole used to attach it to the new 'N' style boxes.
There are no rare or sought after versions, all are of fairly modest value.

**The black Mercedes had chrome 24 spoke wheels and the tyres had a much wider whitewall. The interior was maroon and it had a light brown plastic steering wheel. Later issues had push fit wheels and axles and either a brown or green steering wheel. Models without screw hole were released as part of the "Great Motor Cars of the Century" collection.

The Mercedes-Benz 540k was re-issued in 1995 as part of the "Grand Marques" series. This model was made in China and featured a glossy black body & chassis. The steering wheel was black with silver spokes. It was coded by Matchbox Collectibles as YY020A/D.
Note the different number plate numbers.

Interesting Fact: The dickey seat was the first opening part fitted since the 1958 release of the Y8-1 Morris Cowley which also had a dickey seat.

Scale: 1:45

Silver body, glossy black chassis

White body & chassis

Bright red body & chassis

Glossy black body & chassis

Glossy black body & chassis (Matchbox Collectibles; YY020A/D)

Red with silver trim (Matchbox Collectibles; YY020A/SA)

**Note the different number plate numbers