sister, Gisela. Baroness von Krieger was a leading light in European
high society during the prewar years and lived a life of privilege,
embodied in the sweeping lines and hand-built finishing of her
540K Special Roadster.
The von Kreiger family fled the Nazis during the war, but
they didn’t leave this special car behind. The 540K was shipped
to Switzerland in 1942 for safekeeping, and when the Baroness
emigrated to the United States after the war, the car was shipped
over by boat and kept in Greenwich, Connecticut. Von Kreiger
returned to Europe in later years, but the car remained in storage
and eventually passed to her heirs. When the car finally emerged,
the ashtray still held cigarette butts with Gisela’s lipstick on them
and her silk glove was found under the seat.
The restored car won the prewar Mercedes-Benz class at the
2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In 2012, after being
repainted in as-delivered black, it was auctioned by Gooding &
Co. for $11.77 million including buyer’s premium at its Pebble
Beach event.
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