A
1939 luxury Mercedes limousine used to carry Adolf Hitler around
Germany will be auctioned in the US state of Arizona next month — one of
only four such models ever built.
Powered by a 7.7-litre
supercharged engine capable of exceeding 100 mph, the Mercedes-Benz 770K
Grosser — known to the world as the “Super Mercedes” — was a potent
propaganda symbol of the Third Reich which the Fuhrer rode standing in
the front seat.
Billed as “the most historically significant
automobile ever offered for public sale”, the imposing four-door
convertible will be offered to bidders at the Worldwide Auctioneers
event in Scottsdale on January 17 at the city’s annual classic car
event.
The car — which carried the number plate 1A 148461 — was used
to ferry Hitler on his victory parade through Berlin following the
stunning defeat of France, and for a state visit by Italian fascist
dictator Benito Mussolini.
As the conflict turned in the Allies’
favor, it fell into disuse in France and was captured after the war by
US forces who, apparently unaware of its provenance, put it into a
military police motor pool.
After the war it went briefly to a
private owner in Belgium before being sent to the US where it made its
way to the Greenville, North Carolina bureau of Veterans of Foreign
Wars, which used the car for parades, carrying dignitaries and Gold Star
Mothers.
It then changed hands several more times within the US
before being sold to a European collector in 2002, then to a Russian
billionaire in 2009. US media reports say it could sell for million
dollars.
Worldwide Auctioneers did not reveal the current owner’s identity but it is not thought to have been sold since that time.
“The
purpose of this display is absolutely not to glorify Hitler and his
destructive policies,” the auction house wrote in a post on its website
last week.
“It is to show you one of the outstanding cars of the
century, built by gifted people, and representing the highest in
craftsmanship.
People bundle up against the cold temperature in New York City,