The Mercedes-Benz W 150 II Type 770K is the successor to the W 150 version. The special version with the designation W 150 II was built from 1940 to 1943 and was an armored version.
The car was called “Großer Mercedes” (Eng. big or large Mercedes), which was the name for all W 150 770K types from 1938 to 1944. The car was 6 to 6,5 meters long, 2,1 to 2,5 meters wide and 1,8 to 1,9 meters high. The Mercedes was powered by a 7,7 liter engine.
After the successful assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich on 27 May 1942 in Czechoslovakia, followed by his death on June 4, 1942, the German staff was alerted and precautionary measures were taken. One of these measures was that the staff cars had to be armored. Existing cars were returned to the manufacturer to be modified and newly ordered models were immediately armored.
This Mercedes-Benz W 150 II Type 770K had 18 mm steel plating with glazing of 40 mm bulletproof glass. There were armor plates treated with manganese for floor protection, armored doors and a 300 liter puncture-proof aviation fuel tank. At the rear of the car was a mobile armor plate with a rack to protect the heads of passengers in the event of fire from behind. The German Staff car had 19 inch armored steel wheels and bulletproof tires with 20 chambers. To reduce weight The fenders were made of light metal. The curb weight was 4780 kg (3400 to 3600 kg for the unarmored version). For reasons of tire durability, the manufacturer recommended a maximum speed of 80 km/h, while the unarmored Mercedes-Benz W 150 770K reached 170 km/h.
Mercedes-Benz W 150 II Type 770K Convertible – Adolf Hitler’s Parade Car
The Mercedes-Benz W 150 II 770K had a 5-speed gearbox, 4 gears and one overdrive with assisted hydraulic brakes. Due to its weigh it had a fuel consumption of 60 liters per 100 kilometers. An elevation of 13 cm has been made where Adolf Hitler sits so that he always appears taller than his fellow passengers next to him during a parade.
The story of this specific Mercedes is that the France 2nd Armored division, in French “2e Division Blindée, 2e DB” under the command of General Philippe Leclerc, worked its way up from the battlefields in North Africa, the landings in Normandy during Operation Overlord, to the liberation of Paris. From here the unit advanced to southern Germany, Bavaria. They were the first to enter the Eagles nest in 1945 (American troops liberated the town of Berchtesgaden at this point). From Adolf Hitler’s headquarters on the Obersalzberg, the French troops took home this armored Mercedes-Benz W 150 II type 770K convertible staff car.
It is difficult to see in the photos, but the driver’s side window is damaged because a soldier from Lecrec’s unit wanted to test the armored glass. He shot at the Mercedes-Benz from 10 meters and damaged the glass but did not pierce it.
