Iraq’s King Faisal Mercedes-Benz could hit $2m at live auction

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Today, in what seems like a lifetime ago, King Faisal II’s 1930 Mercedes-Benz has resurfaced. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum will auction it online through Bring A Trailer. 

The stunning 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K four-door cabriolet, crafted by Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin, is turning heads in a live auction that will end in just eight days. It is one of just 117 (W07) built between 1930 and 1938. The current bid for this car, chassis number 83807, is at $1,555,555.

This vintage beauty is in many ways an heirloom of the Iraqi Dynasty. In 1958, King Faisal II had his grandfather’s luxury car serviced and repaired at a total cost of DM 5,550,000. Only to enjoy it for a brief time after, it was that same year he was murdered in the infamous 1958 Iraqi coup d’etat; marking the end of an era.

With the fall of the Hashemite Monarchy of Iraq, this Mercedes-Benz was lost like so many other Iraqi treasures. In 1967, it was purchased by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation and was shipped to the IMS Museum via Beirut, Lebanon and Baltimore, United States. In the 1970s the car was again refurbished. Furthermore, it also participated in the F1 USGP vintage car parade from 2002 through 2007.

Purchased by King Faisal I, for the State of Iraq, this automobile was in service during the reign of King Faisal I, King Ghazi and King Faisal II. It is a reminder of a bygone era, a time where there was so much promise and potential, freedom and tolerance. Traveling the world and debuting in different parades and exhibitions, museums and now auctions, collectors around the world are eager to see who will be next to inherit this historic treasure. 

It is the hope of Iraqi News that this symbol of Iraq’s sovereignty would eventually end up in an Iraqi museum to be enjoyed by the people of Iraq.

To view the 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K online auction in action, click here.