[Barbarian]

Hello everyone and thank you for allowing me to join your ranks. I first approached someone on Team BHP a few days ago with a question regarding a vehicle and that person asked why I did not join the site and share the pictures. Here I am and here they are. A few years ago I assisted in the rescue of a 1943 Mercedes Benz with a engine plate from 1943. Some years have gone by and I have several photographs that I have attached and hope that some one can give me some history regarding this and other vehicles of its type. I do know certain aspects of this vehicle but the thread message will be too long. The vehicle was recovered in Baghdad, Iraq in Jul/Aug 2003. How did it get in Iraq? Who owned it? What is the history of the vehicle and its owner? The obvious is Saddam but he came to power much later. I will be intrested in any comments, tips and any other bits of information that comes back. Thanks in advance and I look forward to reading and possibly debating the topic.

[jeepster]

welcome on team-bhp Barbarian.
for your query's go to Vintage Cars & Classics in India - Team-BHP.

also check out Announcements - Team-BHP & Team-BHP - Announcements in Forum : Announcements.

rgds,
Nikhil

[predatorwheelz]

Hello Barbarian. It is difficult to believe what I'm seeing here. The car you've photographed is a Mercedes Benz 770K (Type II, going by the W150 model no) Tourenwagen!. An extremely rare car (one of 88 built) and worth millions! Not that I need to tell you all this, but the other members might like to know

Since you've stated that this car was rescued from Iraq in 2003, I have reason to believe that it was part of the collection of Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein. Quoting an article from Car & Driver, which was written shortly after the US troops stormed the Husseins' Strongholds and recovered the cars:

QUOTE

As car collections go, Saddam's was puny compared with his son Uday's. Before Uday was killed in a shootout with U.S. troops, he is said to have acquired as many as 1300 vehicles, spread out in seven garages and all over the countryside. His collection had at least five $80,000 Excaliburs, and there were Bentleys, Bugattis, Astons, and a McLaren F1. Uday's automotive menagerie was pruned in 1993, when his father accused him of disloyalty and in revenge destroyed some 50 of his cars.

Car collectors following these events no doubt chuckled at the tastelessness of the Iraqi dictator. What they were really hoping for was word on the status of the one car in all of Iraq that was a keeper: a cream-white 1935 Mercedes 500K roadster with flamboyant, baroque bodywork by Erdmann & Rossi, one of two in the world. Its original owner was King Ghazi, who ascended to the Iraqi throne in 1933 at the age of 21 and bought the car after seeing it at a 1935 exhibition in Barcelona. The king didn't get a lot of time with it—he was killed driving another of his cars in 1939.

Saddam acquired the Mercedes and all the other royal booty when he took power. For unexplained reasons, he is believed to have traded the 500K with the late King Hussein of Jordan for a Mercedes 770K tourwagen, which is, stylewise, a comparative lump of coal. Sometime after that, King Hussein reportedly returned the 500K to Saddam as a gift to keep friendship (and oil) flowing between Iraq and oil-hungry Jordan. The Mercedes was photographed in a subterranean garage in Baghdad in March intact but dusty. Where this prize jewel of the crown is now is anybody's guess.

UNQUOTE

Saddam, Car Guy - Car News - Car and Driver

Would love to hear more about the car from you. Where is it currently? Is it being restored by you?

[SILVERWOOD]

Hi Barbarian,

All i can tell you is you have struck gold.

This is a series II W150 which was built from 1938-43.This was one of the most expensive car of its time, the price of the same was never disclosed to public.The price was published merely as "auf Anfrage" (available by request).

These care were mainly used by government to ferry high ranking Nazi officials, including the 'FURHER'.In fact,one of the series I 770 was used as the official parade care of Hitler.

There are very few surviving 770K now and its worth is in MILLIONS OF $.
The last known 770k transaction took place in 2009 and the same was purchased by an unknown Russian billionaire for several million Euros.

I am sure this car also has a history to share with all of us.

Please share few more details of this car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_770

[harit]

The last transaction for a 770K 1943 was apparently in this year, a sedan seen in the picture attached. It went from Turkey to Los Angeles. This write-up and picture are from the Lufthansa Magazine, they are proud about having transported it. In the write-up they say that there are 9 cars existing worldwide, do not speak about sedan or convertible, and say the value is upto 2 million Euros. The transaction of last year was a massive tourer, which went to Russia to a Nazi memorabilia collector.
1943 was peak war time, England and Germany produced very limited number of luxury cars, the British built a Rolls for the Saudi King, the Germans also presented cars to heads of states. India unfortunately did not get a 770, but the Maharaja got a Maybach from uncle Hitler!! That car is now in USA.
After Iraq was invaded/liberated, the public had a ball with Uday's car collection. As he was hated, and now powerless, people took out their pent up emotions on his cars also. There was a picture of a stripped Ferrari doing the internet rounds at that time. Some cars were saved, some damaged, and some destroyed.
BTW, Saddam gave the name Uday as some sort of regard for India/Indians. There is some story in that.

Cheers harit

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by harit

The last transaction for a 770K 1943 was apparently in this year, a sedan seen in the picture attached. It went from Turkey to Los Angeles.

The last known transaction was done in Nov 2009 and this car went from Bielefeld (in western Germany) to Moscow.

Hitler's favorite limo was a dark blue Mercedes 770K. It was located recently by Dusseldorf-based, rare and vintage auto broker, Michael Froelich and purchased by a Russian billionaire.

"The Mercedes sales register shows this 770K [Grosser Series II W150 Cabriolet] model was ordered for the Fuehrer and Chancellor of the Reich in 1935," Froelich told Reuters.

Only 88 of the 1935 model were produced and this specific vehicle has all of the modifications Hitler required, including, "a body made of 18mm-gauge steel, with 4cm thick windows," according to TGDaily.com.

At the time, the car was state of the art. According to Froelich, "it was the best car in the world at the time. Better than the Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls Royce or whatever. It was his favorite car: the one he used most often, which he used for parades."

A middleman for an anonymous Russian billionaire asked Froehlich to track down Hitler's dark-blue 770 K model Mercedes Benz. He learned that Adolf Hitler's original Mercedes was in Austria at the end of World War II, it was later moved to the Classic Car Museum in Las Vegas, and then ended up in the hands of a Bavarian beer baron in Germany.

After the magnate's death in 2008, his widow decided to sell the iconic car and so it came to be in the hands of a private collector in Bielefeld (in western Germany).

The Russian buyer arrived in Germany on a private jet to seal the deal and bought it from the private owner for between $6 and $15 million. It is reported that the Russian buyer has taken the Mercedes to Moscow.
Although the final purchse price is unknown the value of the vehicle has been estimated variously between four and 10 million euros ($6-15 million USD), according to the BBC.

Russian billionaire buys Nazi dictator?s Merc|Eurotive

[harit]

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

The last known transaction was done in Nov 2009 and this car went from Bielefeld (in western Germany) to Moscow.

This Hitler car was definitely NOT the last 770 K sold. The Turkish car went later, in August another was put up in some US auction, maybe Pebble Beach. In this year two or three cars were advertised in Classic & Sports Cars. I am referring to 770 K, sedan and tourers considered. Shall try to find the advertisement and scan.

Cheers harit

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by harit

This Hitler car was definitely NOT the last 770 K sold. The Turkish car went later, in August another was put up in some US auction, maybe Pebble Beach. In this year two or three cars were advertised in Classic & Sports Cars. I am referring to 770 K, sedan and tourers considered. Shall try to find the advertisement and scan.

Cheers harit

Yes, the last one was at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auctions on August 14 and 15, 2010.(pic attached for reference)
But we do not know the details of the previous and the current owner of the car.

[harit]

Attached is one more tourer 770K which was for sale in this year. It is maroonish in colour.
This advertisement is by a german dealer Axel Schuette, Germany, and was published in Classic And Sports Cars April 2010. Atleast two more such advertisements appeared, a black tourer and a black sedan. Will post when I find them.
I personally feel that this was one of the grandest cars to have.
Unfortunately it is left hand drive!!
The ad says that only 5 of these cars in this body style survive.

Cheers harit

[Barbarian]

Hi chaps, good of you to come up with some knowledge and a lot of it I had no idea. Does anyone know what type of armour or who made it or installed it? There is also the upholstery. Who made that and where would it have likely to have been installed? My guess is leather as the other plastic stuff had not been around then and would MB have installed it. Any news on the engine and performance would be useful as well. I have enjoyed your comments and look forward to more. Anyone know what the bar was over the radiator grill was for? Unfortunately it is not my vehicle I just assissted in rescuing it and it was handed over to another person and as for the history that is what I am attempting to find out.

I also have another picture of a vehicle that you can help me identify if I can upload it. It was at the location we left the MB.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

I also have another picture of a vehicle that you can help me identify if I can upload it. It was at the location we left the MB.

Hi Barbarian,

You're asking a question I've already answered. This is quite obviously King Ghazi's Mercedes 500K, which was traded for the 770K by Saddam to the King of Jordan, and later returned by the King of Jordan. Please go through the news excerpt in my first post.

[shankar.balan]

fantastic historical value in this thread - thanks for sharing it with us.
the shrouded car (poor thing) looks ripe for an Indiana Jones kind of adventure - as if it has come out of cold storage to act in a period movie!
but what a beauty it is indeed!

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

I also have another picture of a vehicle that you can help me identify if I can upload it. It was at the location we left the MB.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

You're asking a question I've already answered. This is quite obviously King Ghazi's Mercedes 500K, which was traded for the 770K by Saddam to the King of Jordan, and later returned by the King of Jordan. Please go through the news excerpt in my first post.

That white car is no 500K - obviously one of the many ugly replicas attempted from the 60s onwards.

[zibby]

That car is a beauty
Saddam also had another classic merc in silver only 3 built, the pics are on this website.
Seriously Cool Stash Of Saddam-Era Cars Found In Baghdad Underground Garage
If Only Cars Could Talk: 1956 Thunderbird Down On The Baghdad Street

[troublemaker]

this is a piece of history! it would be interesting to hear the story of how you got it..