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Hitler’s 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K: What the 2018 Auction Reported

The Hitler-associated 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K was auctioned in Scottsdale in 2018. Here is what is known about its $7 million reported bid, provenance, rarity and current status.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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Yes. The Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen associated with Adolf Hitler was auctioned by Worldwide Auctioneers in Scottsdale on January 17, 2018. Contemporary reporting put the highest bid at $7 million, but the sources available here do not establish a verified final sale price, buyer or current owner. It is therefore not a newly announced 2026 listing.

The car that went under the hammer

The vehicle was a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen, also known as the “Grosser” or “Super Mercedes.” Worldwide Auctioneers described it as ordered by, built for and used by Adolf Hitler. Its open touring body was intended for ceremonial and state appearances rather than ordinary transport.

Reported equipment included a 7.7-liter supercharged engine capable of exceeding 160 kph, bulletproof glass and armor plating. Those specifications explain both the car’s imposing presence and its importance to collectors of prewar engineering and state vehicles.

Was Hitler’s Mercedes really auctioned?

It was. Worldwide Auctioneers scheduled the sale for its Scottsdale Auction on January 17, 2018, and a Getty Images/AFP caption reported that the car was auctioned there. The “heading to auction” wording belongs to the period before that event and should not be read as a current sale announcement.

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What is—and is not—known about the result

  • The reported highest bid was $7 million.
  • The available reporting does not verify a completed transaction price, whether the bid was accepted, or the identity of a buyer.
  • No current for-sale status or confirmed present owner is established by these records.

Hitler and wartime provenance

The Hitler connection is the car’s central provenance claim, but individual episodes should be separated from later promotional descriptions. Worldwide Auctioneers linked the vehicle to Hitler’s use and said it appeared in his victory parade through Berlin after France’s defeat. RTÉ also reported that it was used during a state visit by Benito Mussolini, Italy’s fascist dictator.

These accounts are contemporary reporting and auction-house statements. They support the vehicle’s historical association, but they are not the same as a publicly documented, uninterrupted chain of custody for every period of its life. Buyers evaluating a comparable car should ask for original factory records, wartime photographs, registration documents, restoration files and ownership transfers.

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How rare is the 770K Grosser?

Rarity figures depend on what is being counted. Worldwide Auctioneers said the car was one of five surviving Offener Tourenwagens in private hands. The Los Angeles Times separately reported the auction company’s claim that only four such vehicles were built to transport Hitler and his staff.

Claim Scope How to read it
Five surviving examples Surviving Offener Tourenwagens in private hands A survival and ownership description, not necessarily a count of Hitler cars
Four built Vehicles reportedly built to transport Hitler and his staff A narrower production claim; it should not be substituted for the five-car survival figure

For valuation, provenance quality matters as much as a headline survival number. A 770K with clearly documented history, original components and verifiable coachwork can command a different level of interest from one whose story rests mainly on later descriptions.

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What did the auction money represent?

The $7 million figure was reported as the highest bid, not as a verified final sale price. It should not be presented as a confirmed auction record or as proof of what the car would fetch today. Auction results can differ between an announced bid, a hammer price and a completed transaction after conditions, reserves, fees or post-sale negotiations are resolved.

Worldwide Auctioneers said 10% of the sale price would be donated to the Simon Wiesenthal Center to support Holocaust education and related anti-bigotry work. Because the final sale price is not established here, the precise donation amount cannot be calculated from the available record.

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Why collectors still study the 770 “Grosser”

The car combines unusually large-scale engineering, protective construction, formal coachwork and politically significant provenance. Rod Egan, Worldwide Auctioneers’ principal and auctioneer, said: “If its original provenance can be set aside, surviving examples of the Mercedes-Benz 770 ‘Grosser’ or ‘Super Mercedes’ remain quite likely the world’s greatest achievement in terms of automotive design, engineering, and construction.”

That statement is an auctioneer’s assessment, not an independent engineering ranking. For a financially serious buyer, the practical questions are more specific:

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  • Authenticity: Are the chassis, engine, armor and body components original or replaced?
  • Provenance: Which owners and uses are supported by primary documents?
  • Restoration: Who performed the work, when, and to what standard?
  • Security and preservation: Can the vehicle be stored, insured and maintained safely?
  • Transaction terms: Is the quoted figure a bid, hammer price or completed sale, and what fees apply?

Is Hitler’s 770K still for sale?

There is no verified current listing in the supplied record. The documented event was the Scottsdale auction in 2018. Any modern advertisement using the same description should be checked against a reputable auction house, a complete title history and independent authentication before money changes hands.

Bottom line for readers tracking the price

Hitler’s associated Mercedes was a 1939 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen with reported armor, bulletproof glass and a supercharged 7.7-liter engine. It was auctioned in Scottsdale on January 17, 2018; $7 million was reported as the highest bid, while the final transaction and current ownership remain unverified in the available sources. The car’s historical importance is substantial, but its financial value depends on documentation, originality and the exact terms of any completed sale.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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