The Mercedes 700K limousine associated with Hitler had a sad fate after its owner committed suicide.
MERCEDES 700 – A CLASSY CAR FOR THE ELITE
Mercedes cars are still associated with luxury and class to this day. This has always been true in the past.
1935 Mercedes 700 (W07) of Emperor Hirohito. Photo: Morio/CC BY-SA 3.0
Mercedes manufactured the limousine codenamed W07, also known as the Mercedes 700, between 1930 and 1938, targeting heads of state as well as the wealthy and powerful elite of the time.
Notable names using this model include Paul v. Hindenburg – former president of Germany before and after Hitler came to power, Emperor Hirohito – on the same side as the Axis with Nazi Germany.
1938 Mercedes 700 (W150) Pullman hardtop version
After a long period of nearly a decade, Mercedes decided to improve this model and named it W150, production took place from 1938 to 1943. Still carrying a large engine, it was a 7.7-liter turbocharged inline 8-cylinder engine.
This “giant” engine block has the option of combining with an air intake to produce up to 200 horsepower. This power is transmitted to the wheels through a 5-speed gearbox system, helping to move the more than 2-ton, nearly 6-meter long vehicle to 100km/h in 17 seconds with a maximum speed of about 170km/h.
When equipped with this turbocharged engine, the car was called the 700K, because the letter “K” stands for Kompressor in German, which means air intake (Supercharged in English).
Interior of a 1938 Mercedes 700 (W150) Pullman hardtop
Besides these “mechanical” numbers, the luxury of the car also comes from its imposing design, shown in the large, vertical grille, which is very suitable for the “dinosaur” size of this car, which is about 6 meters long.
The exterior also impresses with its “flowing” design, which is considered ahead of its time. The interior with wood and leather details further enhances the luxury of the car.
The Mercedes 700K (W150) Grosser Offener Tourenwagen is lucky to still exist. Photo: Canalblog
Information on the Daimler website said that the armored Mercedes W150 variant has also appeared with the windshield now replaced with multi-layered glass with a thickness of 40mm, the car floor is equipped with bulletproof metal plates up to 8.8mm thick while the body and roof are equipped with 3.3mm thick steel plates.
With this bulletproof equipment, the car “gained weight” to more than 4.5 tons. If equipped with the supercharged engine mentioned above, the maximum speed would have dropped to about 80km/h – a pretty good number at that time.
The 1936 Citroen Traction Avant in Vietnam. Photo: cafeauto
By the end of 1930 (pre-war), luxury cars had already appeared with the Rolls Royce Phantom III or Citroen Traction Avant. However, the choice of the heads of state leaned towards Mercedes when the war broke out again near the end of 1939.
That’s why orders for heads of state are given priority, and only a few Mercedes W150s are delivered to civilians.
The Mercedes 700K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen that served Hitler. Photo: Worldwide Auctioneers
According to some sources, during its life cycle, Mercedes delivered 88 Mercedes 700 Grosser to customers. Currently, only about 5 units remain, of which 3 are privately owned.
The car Hitler used was one of these three privately owned cars, with the full name Mercedes 700K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen (Mercedes 700K ‘Grand Open Touring Car’).
MERCEDES 700K AND ITS GLORIOUS PAST
Hitler standing in a Mercedes 700K with license plate IA 148 461
Looking back at Hitler’s documents during military parades, one can see the large Mercedes convertible with the license plate “IA 148 461”, which often accompanied Hitler during such important events.
Hitler stood inside the car, his arms raised in a Nazi salute in response to similar salutes from the German people present at the event.
According to information from a document from September 1938, there is a request to produce a Mercedes 700K for Hitler by Hitler’s close driver, officer Enrich Kempka of the Schutzstaffel force (also known as SS or Black Shirts).
It is not surprising that this car had “ultimate” requirements to maximize Hitler’s protection. Interestingly, these requirements were partly set by the driver Kempka, perhaps because he knew well the weaknesses of an open-top car.
Photo captures Hitler’s grand parade
Other documents document the vehicle’s requirements: 30mm thick multi-layer bulletproof windshield, removable body panels, and additional protection when the windows are down.
The body and undercarriage are reinforced with bulletproof metal panels, a height-adjustable rear bulletproof panel, a passenger seat, and a rear partition. Inside the car there is even a secret compartment that can hold several Luger pistols.
A view from the back of Hitler’s car. Photo: Worldwide Auctioneers
Mercedes’ archives reveal that the car was delivered to Berlin on July 29, 1939. Shortly after, on October 6, 1939, the car officially appeared in a grand parade. However, Hitler did not appear with the car at this time.
Hitler’s first appearance with the car was in a parade on June 18, 1940 in Munich, Germany when Benito Mussolini – the leader of the fascist-allied dictator of Italy – made a state visit.
Hitler and Mussolini ride in a Mercedes 700K through the streets of Munich, Germany. Photo: German Federal Archive
The car then appeared repeatedly with Hitler at other important events, for example in the parade on 6 July 1940 when Nazi Germany defeated France.
The last documented appearance of Hitler with the car was in the parade on May 4, 1941 when Nazi Germany defeated Greece and Yugoslavia. It can be seen that the Mercedes 700K Grosser Offener Tourrenwagen was associated with Hitler’s image when it always appeared in the biggest and most important events.
THE TRAGIC POST-WAR FATE OF THE MERCEDES 700K
Coincidentally, the Nazi victory over Greece and Yugoslavia was one of Hitler’s last victories. Not long after, the Nazis suffered successive defeats after attacking the Soviet Union. The American bombing campaign caused severe damage to infrastructure, particularly roads, in Germany.
The Mercedes factory was one of the Allies’ top targets and was frequently bombarded, causing enormous damage.
A scene of devastation in Dresden, Germany after suffering a “rain” of bombs. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Because of these terrible attacks, Hitler’s grand military parades also gradually decreased, especially in the second half of World War II.
The outcome of the defeat was clear. Some documents recorded that Hitler committed suicide by shooting himself after receiving continuous news of defeat, however this is a controversial information to this day.
American people (Allied side) after the news of Hitler’s suicide. Photo: AP Photo
After the war, the US confiscated the car and turned it over to the US Military Police stationed in Le Havre, northern France. The car’s fate after this time is recorded in two letters dated October 17, 1977 and November 4, 1978.
The letter was written by US veteran Duane Briggs, who served in the vehicle squadron in Le Havre, France around 1945, after he saw the vehicle in the Houston Post in 1977.
Excerpt from the letter: “…immediately recognized the car that had appeared for about 3, 4 months in the car lineup in Le Havre, France. I also drove this car myself for a few kilometers…”.
The 1978 letter also mentions an army colonel attempting to smuggle the car to the United States in 1945.
Worldwide Auctioneers
The car actually made it to America around 1946 and belonged to Mr. Vander Elst – the owner of a tobacco company.
Not long after, the car was sold by Mr. Vander and passed through many other hands; it was even mistakenly said to belong to the Black Shirt general Henrim Himmler.
However, when they compared the information with information from the Mercedes factory, they discovered that this was indeed Hitler’s car. Immediately after this discovery, the car attracted a lot of media attention, consuming a lot of ink from famous newspapers and radio stations at that time.
The Mercedes 700K when still serving Hitler
However, the car’s fate was not yet settled as it continued to be bought and sold several times before it was rumored to fall into the hands of an anonymous Russian billionaire in 2009.
At this point, the car’s images and information were cut off. No one knows the car’s true information after this time.
Image at the 2018 auction. Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic
Nearly a decade later, the media once again had the opportunity to access the car when it was put up for auction in the US around early 2018. Information about the seller was kept secret and the minimum price was not announced.
Although the highest bid was about 7 million USD, the auction house announced that this price did not reach the minimum price and canceled the auction.
It is rumored that the seller of the car was a former Russian billionaire, and that he had a secret deal with the highest bidder. Perhaps the car was sold.
The car was spotted in Seattle, USA in 2018. Photo: Jessi Sites
Shortly after, people saw a Mercedes 700K with license plate IA 148 461 being lowered from a truck in Seattle, USA.
Information received suggests that the car was transported to a very distant location, not in the United States.
The person who discovered the car in Seattle had a question: why didn’t the car go to Los Angeles port, about 650km from the auction site, but instead went to Seattle port, more than 2,250km away?
The answer to this question is perhaps as mysterious as the car’s current fate: no one knows.
