Yahoo Finance Mercedes Restored A 540K Streamliner And Made A Movie About It
The Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner is an important piece of history for the automaker. This is a car that was created as a one-off back in 1938, and it was a technical masterpiece for Benz. An aluminum bodied machine that was able to cut through the wind thanks to its supercharged 5.4-liter straight-eight engine. The goal was a blend of speed and luxury, and the super-smooth 540K was exactly that, yet it never got a chance to shine because the world broke out into war.
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The 540K wound up as a tire-company test machine before it disappeared. Mercedes-Benz found the car, and set about restoring it to its former glory. That required nearly 5,000 hours of work, but it was a labor of love for the automaker, who filmed the entire affair and turned it into a 45-minute movie.
It's called The Streamliner Case, and you can watch it in full online. The movie goes into the history of the car, while also showing what it takes to bring it back to life. The video above is merely a teaser but should prove interesting enough to whet your appetite. Yes, it's on the dramatic side, but the car could be considered drama distilled into automotive form. After watching the trailer, we find ourselves left with two questions.
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One, what was the cost of this restoration? We imagine it was enormous and that the car is now considered priceless.
Two, what made those perfect burnout marks seen at the end of the video? This must be answered.
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