e of history’s most significant cars is the
Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser used by Adolf
Hitler.
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.
The 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser
Offener Tourenwagen used by Hitler was the
most technologically advanced car of its
time.
The four-seat, 7.7-liter convertible had
armour-plating and 30mm thick bulletproof
glass. It was used for the state visit of Benito
Mussolini in 1940.
The car was used several times by the
German dictator for rallies across Europe.
The 20-foot long limousine was last used on
parade at the old Reichstag on May 4, 1941,
where Hitler celebrated the defeat of
Yugoslavia and Greece.
This Mercedes-Benz 770K ‘Grosser’ or
‘Grand’ still bears the original registration
IA148461 and chassis number of 189744.
The 770K was partially armoured was seized
by the US Army after the war. It was not
used much and ended up in France when it
was discovered by American forces who,
unaware of its history, used it as a military
pool car for several months.
It was put under the control and use of the
U.S Army Military Police stationed in Le
Havre, France and eventually made its way to
the United States.
It was donated to a local branch of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, which used the car
in parades.
The Grosser was then retired, parked and
forgotten in garage storage until 1976.
Since then, it had had several American
owners before being sold to a European
collector in 2004.
Upon its rediscovery, it has appeared in
several museums and displays since then
including the Imperial Palace Hotel and
Casino in Las Vegas, the Chicago Historical
Antique Automobile Museum and the
Canadian War Museum in Ottowa.
The car is the last of the eight original W150
770K models made and one of only five
surviving cars today.
Out of the five, only three, including this
particular car, is in private hands with the
other two with museums worldwide.
As of November 2009, one of Hitler’s 770Ks
was allegedly purchased for several million
euros by an unnamed Russian billionaire.
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