the owner, a trophy hunter, put this car in his garage in 1980 after the town gave 'best of show' to a John Deere instead of his Mercedes in his Nebraska local car show. Thanks Doug!

Although it started life as a 540 K Cabriolet A, in 1951 it was expertly converted from cloth to hardtop by German coachbuilder Hebmüller.

Maintained in working mechanical order, the 540 K regularly made local appearances with its owner and his wife in period costumes, to the great admiration of the town’s history and classic car enthusiasts.

The last public appearance of the Mercedes-Benz was in a county parade and car competition in 1980. The judging panel awarded Best of Show to a restored John Deere tractor. After this ignominious defeat, the owner put the Mercedes into the garage he had built himself specifically to protect and store it, and the 540 K coupe made no more public appearances until reemerging in late 2019.

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az20/arizona/lots/r0047-1937-mercedes-benz-540-k-coupe-by-hebmueller/836179
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2020/01/17/1937-mercedes-benz-540-k-sells-for-995k