The Mercedes-Benz 770, also known as the Großer Mercedes (German for "large Mercedes"), was a large luxury car built by Mercedes-Benz from 1930 to 1943. It is probably best known from archival footage of high-ranking Nazi officials before and during World War II, including Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich.
Video Mercedes-Benz 770
Series I - W07 (1930-1938)
The 770 was introduced in 1930 as the successor of the Mercedes-Benz Typ 630, with the internal code W07. These high-priced cars were mainly used by governments as state vehicles. Reich President Paul von Hindenburg, Emperor Hirohito and Pope Pius XI were among the customers, and Adolf Hitler used a 770 from 1931 onwards. 117 W07-series cars were built until 1938.
The W07 version of the 770 was powered by an inline eight-cylinder engine of 7,655 cc (467.1 cu in) capacity with an overhead camshaft and aluminium pistons. This engine produced 150 brake horsepower (110 kW) at 2800 rpm without supercharging. An optional Roots type supercharger, which was engaged at full throttle, would raise the output to 200 brake horsepower (150 kW) at 2800 rpm, which could propel the car to 160 km/h (99 mph). The transmission had four forward ratios, of which third was direct and fourth was an overdrive.
The W07 had a contemporary boxed chassis suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs onto beam axles front and rear. Dimensions would vary with coachwork, but the chassis had a wheelbase of 3,750 mm (147.6 in) and a front track equal to the rear track of 1,500 mm (59.1 in).
Maps Mercedes-Benz 770
Series II - W150 (1938-1943)
The 770 was substantially revised in 1938, resulting in the new internal designation of W150. The all-new chassis was made with oval section tubes and was suspended from coil springs all around, with independent suspension at front and a de Dion axle at the rear.
The engine had the same basic architecture as that of the W07, but it had been tuned to produce 155 brake horsepower (116 kW) at 3000 rpm without supercharging and 230 brake horsepower (170 kW) at 3200 rpm with. The transmission now had five forward ratios with a direct fourth gear and an overdrive fifth.
In 1938, the huge W150 is thought to have been the most expensive German passenger car for sale up to that time, though it appeared on no price list: the price was published merely as auf Anfrage ("upon request"). 88 W150-series cars were built before chassis production ended in 1943. The last cars were bodied and delivered in March 1944.
Surviving 770s
The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa has on display one of seven cars used by Hitler. An American serviceman discovered this 1940 vintage W150 in Austria at the end of the war. It was shipped to the U.S. and eventually sold to a Quebec businessman, who later gave it to the museum. It was originally believed to have been owned by Hermann Göring, but later research concluded that it was used by Hitler.
The 770K originally owned by Marshal of Finland Baron Gustav Mannerheim was sold to an American collector after World War II. It was featured in the 1951 motion picture The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel as Hitler's parade car. In 1973, Mannerheim's 770K, erroneously alleged to have been the parade limousine of Adolf Hitler, was sold at auction for $153,000, which was the most money ever paid for a car at auction at that time. This broke the previous record price for an antique car, which had been $90,000 for Greta Garbo's Duesenberg in autumn 1972. It was sold to Earl Clark, a businessman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who wanted the car for a park called Dutch Wonderland. Since 1984, Mannerheim's car has been owned by General William Lyon.
Another 770 was sold at the same 1973 auction, for $93,000. The high bidder was Billy C. Tanner, an Alabama developer and the campaign manager for George Wallace's campaign in the 1964 U.S. presidential election. However, he could not secure financing to complete the transaction and subsequently sold his option to Don Tidwell, a mobile-home manufacturer.
As of November 2009, one of Hitler's 770Ks was allegedly purchased for several million euros by an unnamed Russian billionaire.
In the Norwegian Mercedes Benz Club's magazine of June 2010 is an article on a 770 Offener Tourenwagen (W150). It was brought to Norway in 1941 by General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst. After World War II, it was used by the King of Norway. It was later sold to a buyer in the United States. The car won the prize for the best unrestored pre-war car at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2003.
Two other 770s were brought to Norway during the war, one for Josef Terboven and the other for Vidkun Quisling. The Norsk Motorveteran magazine had a short article on one of the cars, which stated that it was displayed for sale to the public, but apparently no one wanted to buy it despite the low price of KR 50,-. It was eventually scrapped, and all that now remains of the car is part of the bulletproof glasswork.
There is a 1938 Mercedes-Benz Cat Man 770 Grosser at the Museu do Caramulo in Portugal. This car is armored and was ordered by the PVDE, the Portuguese internal secret police, after the 1937 bomb attempt against the Portuguese dictator António Salazar.
A black 1938 770K, on display at the Technisches Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, allegedly was owned by the German central government office and used by Adolf Hitler during parades. The car was fitted with mine-proof floor armor, plus thick glass and body work. However, as a convertible parade car, the occupants' protection was limited.
There is a 1939 770K on display at the Southward Car Museum at Paraparaumu in New Zealand. It is believed to have been intended as a gift for Edward VIII after the planned German invasion of Britain.
A 1939 770K Cabriolet B has made at least one appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. This car is a 2-door, 5-passenger convertible, making it particularly unusual, since the majority of W150 cars were built as hardtop limousines or convertible limousines. It is finished in dark red with a tan leather interior. The car is owned by the William Lyon family.
The Spanish Royal Guard has a 770 in the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, which was used by Francisco Franco.
There is a 770k once owned by His Majesty King Abdullah I of Jordan on display in the royal automobile museum located in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
See also
- Mercedes-Benz W31
- List of Mercedes-Benz cars
- {[Mercedes-Benz 770 typ Großer w150 1938-1943 The story of a car by Jean-Luc Auriac 2015]}
- {The link of the 770 w150
References
Notes
Further reading
External links
- Daimler Global Media site
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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