What Ever Happened To The Mercedes 220SE From The Hangover?
Many car aficionados consider the Mercedes-Benz 220SE to be a timeless classic, but it was its appearance in the comedy flick "The Hangover" that solidified its place as a Hollywood icon. In the film, it first showed up as a parting gift to Doug from his father-in-law, with the Mercedes eventually being subjected to painful amounts of abuse during its trip. While the fate of the "Hangover" car was quite grim in the film, its real-life counterpart managed to survive to post-production and beyond.
In fact, the movie used several variants of the car — specifically, the cabriolet and coupe versions of two nearly identical-looking Mercedes-Benz models, according to The New York Times. This included a 1965 Mercedes-Benz 220SE and a 1969 280SE. While a couple of the cars were destroyed during filming, there were two so-called "beauty cars" that weren't used and damaged in stunt scenes. Both cars remained in good condition and were auctioned off by Mecum Auctions in 2010. The Mercedes 220SE — which was actually used to carry Mike Tyson's pet tiger in certain scenes — was sold for $38,000, while the 280SE went for $50,000. However, this didn't mark the end for the alluring classic car from "The Hangover."
The origins of the Hangover Mercedes
Before its crazy yet memorable adventures in the movie, the classic Mercedes also had quite a peculiar backstory. According to Montway, the company that transported vehicles for "The Hangover," the film's principal vehicle –- a silver Mercedes-Benz 280SE cabriolet –- originally belonged to a person named Frank Cacciatore. After purchasing it in Detroit, Cacciatore brought it back to Chicago and was eventually approached by Mecum Auctions.
The company told Cacciatore it was hoping to buy his Mercedes for someone else as a birthday gift. Shortly after it was purchased, however, it was revealed to Cacciatore that the 280SE was going to be among the "feature cars" used in "The Hangover" instead. Since the film couldn't use the same model throughout the entirety of the shoot, its production team made several copies that looked just like the 280SE, a process that included chopping up some coupes to appear like cabriolets. This is where the Mercedes-Benz 220SE comes in, which almost looked indistinguishable from the original 280SE.
What happened to the Mercedes 220SE next?
While the "beauty cars" were spared from the film's graphic depictions of automobile destruction, they were never heard from again after being sold. Of the five cars that were used in the movie, Autoblog reports that three made it to the end of filming. One of these was a '65 Mercedes 220SE, which popped up on eBay in 2011. The listing claimed that this particular model was mainly used in the film's interior scenes, though unfortunately, it seems that the listing doesn't exist anymore. Its inside was reportedly ruined during filming but was restored once production ended. The Hollywood icon was being sold in running condition and came with a starting price of $85,000.
In 2013, the "Hangover" Mercedes 220SE was auctioned off again by McCormick's Car Auctions, according to one of its Facebook posts. However, that wasn't the end of the road for the car, as a AAA Motor Cars listing shows the vehicle — which bears the same "Hangvr 1" nameplate — being sold yet again. With all of this in mind, it wouldn't be surprising if this classic gem eventually changes hands again in the future, so it may not be long before we see it up for auction once more.