Hello everyone,
I appeal to you, hoping that you may be able to help me. In May 1945, General Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division seized two Mercedes typ 770 Grosser w150s from Hitler's fleet. One was a Tourenwagen Offener, today in the Musée Henri Malartre, located in Rochetaillée sur Saône, near Lyon.
The second one, for which I am calling on you, is a Pullman Limousine registered IA-148696 (for which a false number was subsequently painted: Z96501).
When this car was presented to General Leclerc, the latter decided to bring it to General de Gaulle as a gift. De Gaulle did not want it and sent it to the Army Museum in Paris. The museum entrusted it to a fighting solidarity association called "VICTOIRE" which showed it in France, Belgium and Holland in order to raise funds for war orphans.
In 1948, the car was sent to the US to be presented to the public, but did not return to France. It was sold and for thirty years no one has seen this car again. A certain Austin Weiss showed phtos, claiming, two or three years ago, to have restored it.
In a year, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of the war, and we would love to see this car again. Does any of you know anything about this?
thank you in advance
My contact address: jeanluc.auriac@gmail.com
