1931 Mercedes-Benz 770 K Pullman Cabriolet
- Engine
- 7.7L supercharged straight-eight, 200 bhp with supercharger engaged
- Colour
- Black with red upholstery
Chassis 83807 is a supercharged Mercedes-Benz 770 K Pullman Cabriolet, bodied by Karosserie Voll & Ruhrbeck, ordered in late 1930 by King Faisal I of Iraq as a state vehicle and delivered in August 1931. It subsequently served two further Iraqi monarchs before being overhauled in Stuttgart in the late 1950s. In 1967 it was acquired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it spent over five decades on display. It retains its numbers-matching engine and original Arabic license plates.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$2,500,000 – US$3,000,000
- 1931-08-01 →Factory deliveryKing Faisal I of Iraqfull documentation
Ordered as an Iraqi state vehicle in late 1930, delivered in Berlin in August 1931 with coachwork by Voll & Ruhrbeck. Used on Faisal I's first visit to Shah Reza Pahlavi of Persia.
- → 1938InheritanceKing Ghazi I of Iraqpartial documentation
Assumed use of the vehicle following his father's death and continued to use it until his own death in 1938.
- 1938 → 1954InheritanceIraqi Royal Household (garaged)partial documentation
Car was largely kept in storage following King Ghazi I's death, awaiting the coming of age of his heir.
- 1954 → 1966InheritanceKing Faisal II of Iraqfull documentation
Resumed use of the vehicle upon reaching adulthood. In 1957 arranged for the car to be shipped back to Stuttgart for a general overhaul, and it was returned to him in 1958.
- 1967-02-01 → 2022Private saleIndianapolis Motor Speedway Museumfull documentation
Purchase arranged through Lebanese Mercedes-Benz representative Faik J. Obayda and approved by Speedway owner Anton Hulman; car shipped from Beirut via Baltimore. Displayed on occasional exhibition for decades and had a new leather interior fitted in 2007.
- 2022 →Private saleCurrent ownerfull documentation
Acquired as the Indianapolis Museum refocused its collection toward competition vehicles; kept largely in the condition received, with the car occupying a prominent place in a diverse private collection.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1958RestorationMercedes-Benz Stuttgart
General overhaul carried out in Stuttgart following shipment from Iraq; the car was returned to King Faisal II thereafter. Believed to account for the approximately 900 miles recorded at time of cataloguing.
Commissioned in 1957 by King Faisal II; photographic documentation of the car's return to Iraq by cargo aircraft is included in the history file.
- 2007Maintenance
Replacement leather interior fitted during the car's time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Carried out as part of selective refinishing work undertaken by the museum as needed over its decades of ownership.
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