The Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SS was one of the great supercharged sports cars of the late 1920s. Designed under Ferdinand Porsche, who became chief engineer of Daimler in 1923, the SS was developed from the earlier Mercedes-Benz S model and made its debut for the 1928 season.

Mercedes-Benz had pioneered the use of superchargers on road cars, adapting technology originally developed for aircraft engines. On the SS, the supercharger was engaged at full throttle, giving the car a dramatic burst of extra power for acceleration and hill climbing. It also produced the distinctive high-pitched whine that became part of the car’s legend.

Hailed in period as an ideal high-performance car for sporting owner-drivers, the 38/250 SS was among the fastest sports cars in the world. In 1931, Motor magazine tested a fully equipped 7.1-litre Mercedes-Benz SS at Brooklands and recorded over 103 mph, remarkable performance for such a large road car.

This example was imported to Australia in 1936 and later purchased by legendary Australian racing driver Lex Davison. Davison had the car rebuilt with the more sporting body it wears today and entered it in the 1947 Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst. Despite fuel starvation late in the race, he finished third on handicap and reportedly reached 191 km/h down Conrod Straight.

The car later passed through several Australian owners before being purchased by Sir Len Southward in 1965. Today it remains one of the museum’s most significant pre-war performance cars, a rare survivor from the heroic age of supercharged Mercedes-Benz motoring.