Mercedes-Benz W150

The Mercedes-Benz W 150, also known as the Type 770 or Grosser Mercedes, was introduced in 1938 as a thoroughly reworked successor to the W 07. Like its predecessor it was always sold as the Grosser Mercedes or Type 770. Only 88 were built at the Sindelfingen plant between 1938 and June 1943, and few went to private buyers: most went to offices of the German Reich, including the Reich Chancellery for use by Adolf Hitler. Compared with the W 07 the car grew 40 centimetres to 6 metres in length, the frame changed from channel sections with cross bracing to oval tube with pressed steel parts, the mechanical drum brakes became hydraulic, the front axle gave way to independent suspension on double wishbones, and the rear used a de Dion axle. Every W 150 had a supercharged engine whose output rose by 30 PS to 230 PS, about 169 kilowatts. An armoured version, the W 150 II, was built from 1940 to 1943 with 18 millimetre steel plating, 40 millimetre armoured glass and a kerb weight of 4,780 kilograms, and because of tyre durability its top speed was recommended at 80 kilometres an hour, against 170 for the standard car.