Mercedes-Benz 770 - Surviving 770Ks

Surviving 770Ks

The Canadian War Museum has on display one of seven cars used by Hitler. A US serviceman discovered this 1940 vintage 770 in Austria at the end of the war, and was shipped to the US and eventually sold to a Quebec businessman who later gave it to the museum. It was originally believed to have been owned by Hermann Goering, but later research concluded it was used by Hitler.

The 770K originally owned by Marshal of Finland 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 $US153,000, the most money ever paid for a car at auction at that time. This broke the previous record price for an antique car, which was US$90,000 for Greta Garbo's Duesenberg in autumn 1972. It was sold to Earl Clark, a businessman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, US who wanted the car for a park called Dutch Wonderland. Another 770 sold at the same auction, sold for $US93,000. Billy C. Tanner, an Alabama developer and campiagn manager for George Wallace's campaign in the 1964 US presidential election bought it; but 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 has allegedly been 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 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 parts of the bulletproof glasswork.

A black 1938 W150 / 770K, on display at the Technisches Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, allegedly was owned by the German Central govt' office and used by Adolf Hitler during parades. The car was fitted with mine proof floor armour, thick glass and body work. However, as a convertible parade car the occupants' protection was limited.