A piece of Adolf Hitler history, his 1939 Mercedes-Benz, is going up for auction next month. The automobile, which was used during parades in Nazi Germany, has been fully restored, and could sell for about $7 million, according to an estimate cited by Fox.
This 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen is set to be one of the most historically significant cars ever put up for auction and, to gear up for it, the Arizona-based Worldwide Auctioneers, who are putting on the event, have released over 50 documents proving the authenticity of the product. These papers not only that Hitler ordered the car, but that it was built specifically for him and used during World War II.
Over the years, this vehicle has been shown in multiple museums and parades around the world, but this is the first time it will be up for purchase to the highest bidder. Fox’s anonymous expert valued the car between $5-7 million, but an auction has the possibility to bring the actual sale number much higher. The purchase price will become known after it all goes down on Jan. 17.
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The 1939 Mercedes-Benz of Adolf Hitler's, who is pictured in a different convertible Mercedes in 1937 in Germany, is set to be auctioned off next month.
Of the money made off of it, Worldwide Auctioneers says it will donate 10 percent to educating people about the Holocaust, including why it happened, and how to prevent something similar from happening in the future.
“This motorcar did not choose its original owner nor its use,” Rod Egan, auctioneer and principal for Worldwide Auctioneers said in a statement.
Part of its original use, though, was as Hitler’s parade car and, as such, it was outfitted with a bulletproof windscreen and was partially armor-plated. The vehicle was also capable of accelerating past 160 kilometers per hour, which was a huge feat during that time period.
Eventually, the Mercedes-Benz was donated to the US Veterans of Foreign Wars and was used in American military parades, before being shown later on at the Chicago Historical Antique Automobile Museum. After that, it was sold to the owner of the Imperial Palace Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and, later, sold to a European owner who already had a few other classic Mercedes cars.
The new owner of Hitler’s parade car will be found after the auction on Jan. 17.
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