Adolf Hitler is undoubtedly the most controversial figure and possibly the most hated person in the history of mankind, but the automobiles used by the Führer hold historical significance. One of those cars, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Open Tourer used to carry Adolf Hitler around Germany, is up for sale and is to be auctioned by Worldwide Auctioneers at the company’s Scottsdale auction on January 17. Known to the world as the “Super Mercedes,” it was a potent propaganda symbol of the Third Reich which Hitler rode standing in the front seat and is one of only four such models ever built.
According to the auction house, the Mercedes limo was commissioned by SS officer and chauffeur for Hitler Erich Kempka. It was used for big Nazi parades between 1939 and 1941 including the victory parade through Berlin following the defeat of France. The U.S. Army seized this vehicle in 1945, and it was later used by U.S. military police stationed in Le Havre, France. Later, it made its way to the U.S. and was donated to the Veterans of Foreign Wars before changing hands several times within the US and being sold to a European collector in 2002, then to a Russian billionaire in 2009. Worldwide Auctioneers did not reveal the current owner’s identity but has said that 10 percent of the sale price of the car “will be donated and used to educate how and why the Holocaust happened and how to effectively prevent such similar atrocities in the future.” If the media reports are to be believed, the historical car could sell for millions of dollars.
[Via:Autoblog]
