250 GG + Motordrive MOOEV

The Leica 250 GG with electric motor is an absolute rarity in the sphere of Leica collector’s items. Amongst the rarest and most valuable Leitz camera, it is comparable to the original Leica 0 series of 1923. The development and history of this, the most powerful of all Leicas, is legendary. The chance to acquire one at all is extremely small and in this condition, unique. The Leica 250 which is to be auctioned is one of a maximum of 15 cameras with motor still in existence and is in a class of its own. It is the only one in as new condition. The camera and the 24V motor have the same number. The specially made leather bag for camera and motor is also unique. The camera survived the turmoil of the war undamaged because it was not issued to Capt. Koonan of the 9th U.S. Air Force with motor number 10067 until Oct. 9, 1945 (a copy of the Leitz sales book is attached). We believe that Capt. Koonan had the bag specially made by Leitz at the time and that the camera was never used. When in action during the war the cameras were usually changed when a new film was needed, the motor being fixed in the aeroplane. Since our camera was never in action, the original pairing of motor and body was maintained. During the war they were mainly used in the infamous STUKA dive bomber of the German Luftwaffe but the 250 was originally developed for civil purposes. In the year 1936 Leitz brought out a camera for 10 meters of film – the Leica 250 or the “Reporter.” As can been seen from the designation, 250 shots (full 35mm format) could be made without having to put in a new film. In order to achieve this, the camera has two large size cassette housings which gave the Leica “Reporter” its unmistakeable appearance. Since there were only about 1000 of the “Reporter” Leicas ever made in comparison to the production models III and IIIa from the same period with production runs of over 75,000 and 90,000 respectively, it really is a rarity. During World War II some of the L