Mercedes-Benz 770

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Mercedes-Benz Type 770
Cabriolet
LayoutFR layout
Powertrain
Engine
  • 7,665 cc M07 I8 (1930–1938)
  • 7,665 cc M150 I8 (1938–1944)
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • W07 (1930-1938): 3,750 mm (148 in)
  • W150 (1938-1944): 3,880 mm (153 in)
Length
  • W07 (1930-1938): 5,600–5,700 mm (220–220 in)
  • W150 (1938-1944): 6,000–6,200–6,500 mm (240–240–260 in)
Width
  • W07 (1930-1938): 1,850 mm (73 in)
  • W150 (1938-1944): 2,100–2,200 mm (83–87 in)
Height
  • W07 (1930-1938): 1,800 mm (71 in) W150 (1938-1944): 1,900 mm (75 in)
Chronology
PredecessorMercedes-Benz 630
SuccessorMercedes-Benz W186 (1951)

The Mercedes-Benz 770, also known as the Großer Mercedes (German for "Large Mercedes"), was a large luxury car built by

Gustaf Mannerheim, and Benito Mussolini
, many of which were captured in archival footage.

Series I - W07 (1930–1938)

Mercedes Benz 770 (W07) on display at the 1931 Berlin Motor Show

The 770 was introduced in 1930 as the successor to the Mercedes-Benz Typ 630, with the internal code W07.[1] These high-priced cars were mainly used by governments as state vehicles.[2] 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.[2]

The W07 version of the 770 was powered by an

Roots type supercharger, which was engaged at full throttle, would raise the output to 200 bhp (149 kW) at 2800 rpm, which could propel the car to 160 km/h (99 mph).[1][2] The transmission had four forward ratios, of which third was direct and fourth was an overdrive.[3][6]

The W07 had a contemporary boxed

suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs onto beam axles front and rear.[2] 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).[1]

Series II - W150 (1938–1944)

Adolf Hitler in a W150 cabriolet in Bad Godesberg, 1938

The 770 was substantially revised in 1938, resulting in the new internal designation of W150.

de Dion axle at the rear.[2]
Hydraulic brakes were fitted, compared to the servo-assisted mechanical brakes of the prior series.

The engine had the same basic architecture as that of the W07, but had been tuned to produce 155 bhp (116 kW) at 3000 rpm without supercharging and 230 bhp (172 kW) at 3200 rpm with.[7] The transmission now had five forward ratios with a direct fourth gear and an overdrive fifth.[2][7] Top speed was around 170 km/h (106 mph). A twin-supercharged 400 hp (298 kW) model was available, able to reach a top speed of around 190 km/h (118 mph). A total of five were made.

In 1938, the huge W150 was understood to have been the most expensive German passenger car for sale up to that time,[citation needed] though it appeared on no price list: the price was published merely as auf Anfrage ("upon request").[8] Eighty-eight W150-series cars were built before chassis production ended in 1944. The last cars were bodied and delivered in March 1944.[2][7]

Some cars of this model were offered by Hitler as gifts to his allies, namely: Marshal Ion Antonescu of Romania, Benito Mussolini of Italy, Francisco Franco of Spain, Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim of Finland and Emil Hácha of the Bohemian Protectorate.[9] Marshal Antonescu's car, for instance, was bulletproof.[10]

Surviving 770s

Wilhelm II
1935 Mercedes-Benz 770 (W07) limousine used by Emperor Hirohito
Auto und Technik Museum

The

West German embassy to Canada and the West German foreign service. Along with chassis, engine, paint and modification records, and discovery of part of its original number plate 1AV148697, it was confirmed as one of Hitler's cars, delivered to the Reich Chancellery in Berlin on 8 July 1940.[11][12]

The 770K originally owned by

most money ever paid for a car at auction at that time.[14] 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 a businessman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who wanted the car for a park called Dutch Wonderland. Since 1984, Mannerheim's car has been privately owned.[15]

Another 770 was sold at the same 1973 auction, for $93,000. The high bidder was an Alabama developer and 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 a mobile-home manufacturer, Don Tidwell.[citation needed]

As of November 2009, one of Hitler's 770Ks was allegedly purchased for several million euros by an unnamed Russian billionaire.[16]

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.[citation needed]

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 bullet-resistant glasswork.

Another car, a 1939

cabriolet, made its way to Czechoslovakia where it was used as a VIP transport for the government. In 1948 the communists took over and in 1952 it was sent to the Karosa body works and given a modern body and interior, so nothing would resemble its "imperialist" origin. This car is on display at the National Technical Museum in Prague.[17]

There is a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 770 Großer at the Museu do Caramulo in

António Salazar
.

A black 1938 770K, on display at the

Technisches Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, was supposedly owned by the German central government office and used by Adolf Hitler during parades. The car was fitted with mine-resistant floor armour, plus thick glass and bodywork. However, as a convertible parade car, the occupants' protection was limited.[18]

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.[19]

The

Spanish Royal Guard has a 770 in the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, which was used by Francisco Franco.[citation needed
]

A 770k once owned by King Abdullah I of Jordan is on display in the Royal Automobile Museum there.[citation needed]

Notable owners

Famous owners of the Mercedes-Benz 770 have included the following people, but most of them are part of the Axis powers during World War II.

Politicians and royalty

Other notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Oldtimers Gallery - Mercedes-Benz 770 W07(K) Grosser". Autogallery.org.ru. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-85076-254-6
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-8317-6550-X
    .
  4. ISBN 0-600-33401-5
    .
  5. ^ Rogliatti 1973, p. 94.
  6. ^ Rogliatti 1973, p. 95.
  7. ^ a b c d "Oldtimers Gallery - Mercedes-Benz 770 W150 Grosser". Autogallery.org.ru. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  8. Auto Motor u. Sport
    . Heft 19 1976: Seite 76–82. 15 September 1976.
  9. ^ Samohýl Ladislav, Vacek Zdeněk, Fenomén Mercedes-Benz & Čechy, Morava a Slezsko, Grada Publishing, 2015, p. 34
  10. ^ Corneliu Leu, The Novel of a Great Day, "Realitatea" Publishers Ltd, 2005, p. 130
  11. ^ Klara, Robert. The Devil's Mercedes.
  12. ^ Pulsifer, Cameron (Fall 1999). ""Hitler's Car" and the Canadian War Museum: Problems of Documentation and Interpretation". Material History Review. 50: 67–75 – via University of New Brunswick.
  13. ^ "Mannerheim's Mercedes Benz 770 F-Cabriolet". Mannerheim.fi. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  14. ^ "This Day In History: January 6". History.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  15. ^ "Hitler's car exerts grim fascination even if it just gave the Führer a lift to the airport". The Guardian. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Russian Billionaire Buys Hitler's Mercedes: Report". Abc.net.au. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  17. ^ "Karosa Mercedes Benz 770". Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  18. Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum. Archived from the original
    on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  19. ^ http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12046/Mercedes-Benz-770-K-Cabriolet-B.aspx 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Cabriolet B

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mercedes-Benz W07.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mercedes-Benz W150.
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