Spring is here, so our thoughts turn to spyders and convertibles whose appeal is open-air driving.

Consider whether you’ll be using a 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K. Also known as the Großer Mercedes – “Big Mercedes” in German – only 117 four-door convertibles were produced between 1930 and 1938.

This big Mercedes has attracted all sorts of people in power: this particular car, chassis 83807, was built in 1931 for King Faisal I of Iraq; a 1932 Mercedes-Benz 770 (W07 ) The “Grosser” convertible was owned by the former Emperor Wilhelm II. The 1935 Mercedes-Benz 770 limousine was favored by Emperor Hirohito. The 770’s notoriety is why it was used by senior Nazi German politicians during World War II, including Adolf Hitler (his 1940 Mercedes-Benz 770 is now in the Canadian War Museum), Paul von Hindenburg, Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, Jan Antonescu and Benito Mussolini of Axis ally Italy.

Equipped with a four-door, three-cabriolet body from Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin, Germany, the 770K remained the state car of Iraq during the reigns of King Ghazi and King Faisal II. In 1958, the Mercedes-Benz underwent an overhaul in Beirut, Lebanon, before the car was flown back to King Faisal II of Iraq later that year. In March 1967, with the help of Mercedes-Benz, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Base) purchased the car and shipped it to IMS Museum collect.

Finished in black and red leather, power comes from a digitally matched supercharged 7.7-liter inline-8 engine paired with a three-speed manual transmission. Features include a three-position tan soft top with removable front roof and dual fender-mounted spare tires, rear hinged front door, left-side spotlight, crank-operated cabin bulkhead, rear jump seat and thermometer and mounted on Barometer on rear bulkhead.

The W07 Grosser was auctioned last month for $2,555,555 — just shy of the online record. It belongs to the predecessor of the 770, 1927 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Sport/4$2,800,000.

resource: bring the trailer