A Mercedes Built for Hitler
A Mercedez-Benz supercar built for Adolf Hitler will go up for auction in the US eight decades after it was parked in the tyrant’s garage.
The German 770 Grosser, which became known as the Super Mercedes, was used by the Führer during victory parades such as the conquering of France, Greece and Yugoslavia and to entertain guests such as Italian fascist dictator Mussolini.
Built with bulletproof glass and armor-plated side panels, Hitler personally ordered the 7.7liter beast – serial number 189744 – which he took delivery of in July 1939 in Berlin.
After the Nazis were obliterated, the US Army seized the vehicle in 1945 and was passed between tobacco tycoons, casino magnates and historians before finding itself under the hammer with Worldwide Auctioneers – Vintage Motorcar Specialists – on January 17 in Arizona.
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Worldwide Auctioneers has confirmed today that it will present the most historically significant automobile ever offered for public sale at its annual Scottsdale Auction in Arizona on January 17, when this 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen goes under the hammer. It was ordered by Adolf Hitler in 1938
According to a letter on file dated September 2, 1938, the 770K was ordered at the request of SS officer Erich Kempka, an early Nazi-party member who served as Hitler’s primary chauffeur from 1934.
The letter was issued directly from the Daimler-Benz board of directors to the management of the Sindelfingen Daimler-Benz AG works.
As expected, the newest 770K for Hitler was superlative in all possible respects and at Kempka’s insistence, would provide maximum protection for his notorious patron and his chosen passengers.
This wasn’t to come at the price of style, with Hitler demanding a collapsible soft-top roof.
Built-in security measures were impressive and extensive, including 30-mm bullet-resistant laminated glass for the fixed windscreen, wind-up door windows and detachable side panels, armor plating protecting the body sides of the 770K and underneath the vehicle and an armored panel at the rear of the car could be raised or lowered depending upon the perceived threat level.
Despite the seeming urgency for the Führer’s car, a copy of the factory’s commission sheet reveals it was not delivered to Berlin until July 29, 1939.
It did not take long for it to make its first public appearance, and on October 6 it debuted as part of a huge motorcade with a carefully orchestrated vehicle formation designed to maximize Hitler’s personal safety.
During the proceedings, Hitler was delivered to the Old Reich Chancellery, with German and International media in attendance, plus representatives of the Nazi Propaganda Ministry’s Technical Services Department.
The next high-profile outing took place on June 18, 1940, when the 770K was used on parade in Munich for the state visit by Italian Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.
On July 6, 1940, the car carried Hitler on his victory parade held in Berlin following the stunning defeat of France.
A year later, on May 4, 1941, the last known and documented parade for this 770K ended at the Old Reichstag, where Hitler celebrated the German conquest of Yugoslavia and Greece.
By July 1943, it was sent back to Singefingen for maintenance work at the factory, which meant its days as a parade vehicle were numbered as it coincided with Hitler’s demise.
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