Mercedes-Benz
770 'Grosser Mercedes' (W 150)

Why it matters

The W 150 replaced the conservatively built W 07 with a modern chassis: an oval-tube frame, independent front wheels on wishbones and a de Dion rear axle, a five-speed gearbox and an eight-cylinder engine that was offered only with a supercharger, now rated at 230 hp. Only 88 were built between 1938 and 1943, many of them for government use, including ten armour-plated saloons completed for the government between June 1943 and July 1944.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Daimler-Benz decided to replace the Model 770 because it was popular with government buyers but technically dated. The W 150 was a surprise at the 1938 motor show. Chief designer Max Wagner, working under Max Sailer, drew on his experience with the W 125 and W 154 Silver Arrows. Bodies were all hand-built at Sindelfingen by a separate special-vehicle shop under Hermann Ahrens, and many carried the signature of Friedrich Geiger.

Half of the 88 cars were built in 1939; only one was built in each of 1940 and 1941, and 29 followed in 1942 and 1943, almost all armoured. The last three chassis were completed at Untertürkheim in June 1943, but the last car was not delivered until July 1944. In 2010 Gooding & Company catalogued chassis 150006/0030 as the last 770 K built, a Pullman limousine given by the German government to the Turkish president.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The engine is the M 150, 7655 cc with a bore and stroke of 95 x 135 mm, rated 230 hp with the supercharger, driving through a five-speed manual gearbox whose fifth gear is an overdrive (0.713). The frame is an oval tubular design, the front wheels have double wishbones with coil springs, the rear axle is a de Dion-type "parallel-wheel" axle with coil springs (interlaced double coil springs from 1939), and the hydraulic brakes have a Bosch-Dewandre booster. The wheelbase is 3880 mm, against 3750 mm on the W 07. The archive counts 46 open tourers, 18 Pullman saloons, 10 armoured four-door saloons, 7 Convertible F, 5 Convertible D, one Convertible B and one chassis, and says the designation 770 K is of recent date and not authentic. The Gooding car carries chassis 150006/0030, engine 150005/0030 and commission number 929438.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   770 Grand Mercedes / W 150, 1938 - 1943 (Classic M@RS) Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Classic M@RS, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive)

   • Units produced : a total of 88
   • Engine type : M 150 (Technical data)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 8 / in line (Technical data)
   • Total displacement : 7655 cc (Technical data)
   • Bore x Stroke : 95 x 135 mm (Technical data)
   • Compression ratio : 6.1 (Technical data)
   • Valve operation : 1 lateral camshaft (Technical data)
   • Fuel system : 1 Mercedes-Benz triple-jet twin carburettor (Technical data)
   • Rated output : 155 hp at 3000 rpm, with supercharger 230 hp at 3200 rpm (Technical data)
   • Gearing : 5-speed manual transmission (V. = overdrive) (Technical data)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.76; II. 2.26; III. 1.435; IV. 1.0; V. 0.713 (Technical data)
   • Final drive ratio : 4.11 (Technical data)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Technical data)
   • Frame design : oval tubular frame (Technical data)
   • Front-wheel suspension : double wishbone (Technical data)
   • Rear-wheel suspension : double-joint axle (Technical data)
   • Brake system (foot brake) : hydraulic, with Bosch-Dewandre vacuum booster; acting on front and rear (Technical data)
   • Steering : worm-and-nut steering (Technical data)
   • Wheelbase : 3880 mm (Technical data)
   • Length : 6000 mm (Technical data)
   • Width : 2070 mm (Technical data)
   • Height : 1800 mm (Technical data)
   • Front / rear track : 1600 / 1650 mm (Technical data)
   • Maximum speed : 145 km/h, with supercharger 170 km/h (Technical data)
   • Fuel consumption : 30 l (Technical data)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Mercedes-Benz Classic public archive: 770 "Grand Mercedes" (W 150), 1938 - 1943 Level A

   • 88 W 150 units produced in total (46 open tourers, 18 Pullman saloons, 10 armour-plated four-door saloons, 7 Convertible F, 5 Convertible D, 1 Convertible B, 1 chassis)

   Accessed 2026-11-12