alsancle

Joel Finns book on ARCA talks about this car I believe. Recommended reading for any car guy.

I have a vague recollection that it was built by a California Kaiser dealer from a wreck. Keep in mind I said vague.

Ed, I should have guessed you were a judge. You can show him my Stutz engine and explain why it's a zero deduction

I know there are at least 2 past CCCA presidents (both NER members) that check in once in a while. Perhaps they can chime in when they see this thread. The tech sessions are usually pretty good. They schedule them for fairly cool places so there are things to look at before and after the session.

Steve, My dad has acted as a judge but I have never done it. I have been on the "judged" end of the process. My feeling is that the club is open to any knowledgeable person who wants to judge. It is not easy to find people willing to do it so anyone enthusiastic about participating should be welcomed with open arms. A.J.

Chuck, What sort of body is on the parts car? A.J.

The port holes on the hood of the cord are aftermarket. There were a number of different types sold or fabricated to aid in cooling.

Now in a German dealer's hands and for sale again: Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A 1938 for sale - PreWarCar

I think in fairness to the show you are mentioning, he was spot on from a profit perspective. The Lancia had a much much higher ceiling for value than the Woody or Pontiac. The later being cool cars just not that valuable, or in the case of the Woody in such a bad state that it made no sense as a dealer to pursue it.

Agreed. Nice to see a car in original colors and the coupes have such great interiors. I spy 2 V16's in the background too.

Here is a unrestored 36 540k Cabriolet "A" of the first style with the rear spares and set back radiator. It was for sale in Europe a few years ago.

There is nothing more reliable than the flat head 6 put in those cars. They built millions.

I think you would be better served posting pictures and details of the car in question.

My favorite show was when he revealed on camera that the auction company reserves the right to bring the bidding up to the reserve (aka the Chandelier is bidding). Of course, unless the bidders are smart, they may not know they are bidding against the chandelier until that last magic bid when they hit the reserve. One thing that may be a bit misleading to a novice is the actual time span required to clean up some of these cars. Because of editing, it looks like the Davis was fully restored in 3 weeks. In real life, in a professional shop, you are talking months if not years. It would be interesting to know if he thinks the show has helped or hurt his actual business. The obvious answer that most people would think was that it helped a lot but I'm not 100% sure of that. If he's making buys and sells specifically to support the show and a story line that could start to take away from the real business.

Bob, I agree. It's my favorite show too. I think like most "reality" shows there is a bit of embellishment for dramatic effect but I enjoy it a lot.

Could you provide less information? How about pictures and a complete description?

+1 The bumpers also save the car from damage.

Very nice car. Good luck. I agree with the previous comments regarding tires. The correct tires are critical to the proper look. Radials are a huge faux paux in my opinion and the correct width and tread pattern are very important. I personally loathe whitewalls but that is just me.

Re the coupe that will generate about 50 inquires. Judging by the lack of rust on the exposed metal I doubt that car was outside for more than 20 minutes before that picture was taken.

that and some blackwalls and it will really be looking good.

That is a very high survival rate in my opinion. Other than Duesenberg Model J and a few other very special cars where do you see a 20% survival rate?

Steve, I saw that and it is neat. When I was a teenager I helped my uncle restore his 20hp. My recollections was that it was very attractive with nice materials. He sold it before it was done so I never got a chance to ride in it. As a kid I it was also drilled into me by my dad to avoid right hand drive although I've gotten over that in recent years.

I don't know how much the post war Wraith has in common with the prewar Wraith but I have a lot of experience driving one with the larger Bentley engine. It is a wonderful car to drive (with a factory GM automatic) and is unbelievably dependable. Ours has 160k miles from new with nothing but minor maintenance.

When this car was restored (mid 80s) there was a law in the US that required red on red for all 540k's . It did not originally have the metal covers but are the correct ones you could order from MB as an option. As pictured below in all it's original 20k mile glory.