A Mercedes-Benz said to have carried Adolf Hitler during parades in Nazi Germany is still for sale after a $7 million bid was rejected.
The 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770k Grosser Offener Tourenwagen is one of only five in the world, and one of only three in private ownership.
The U.S. Army seized the car in 1945, according to Worldwide Auctioneers.
The auctioneers called the vehicle, “The most historically significant automobile ever offered for public sale.”
They noted that the car was “extremely expensive, obsessively engineered, robustly constructed, and hand-crafted.”
It’s become even more expensive with time and in the context of historical significance, leading to the rejection of a $7 million bid by the anonymous seller, reported Arizona Central.
However, a sale might still happen as the negotiations will continue with individuals outside the auction atmosphere, the auction house told the outlet.
There’s some debate over the exact value that Hitler using the car places on it, with some arguing that there shouldn’t be much of an addition.
“I mean, there were a lot of Mercedes that Adolf Hitler sat in,” Michael Rubinoff, a historian and professor at Arizona State University’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, told the outlet. “And so therefore to attach some significance to this, that Hitler once rested his derrière on the seat … OK.”
However, a prominent classic car valuation expert, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News that the Mercedes-Bens alone would be valued at $5 to $7 million.
The expert said the historical significance attached to the vehicle could double its value.
If the car does sell, 10 percent of the proceeds is lined up for an organization dedicated to Holocaust education.
There’s also hope that the buyer of the car will be willing to put it in a museum somewhere.
Hitler's Mercedes-Benz unsold after $7 million bid is rejected https://t.co/PDYeQyzvXU pic.twitter.com/OQDAyz2f5z
— Fábio (@Fabiolucv) January 22, 2018
"There's a huge interest and market for Nazi paraphernalia which, whether people are happy about that or not, doesn't really matter." https://t.co/ksEhlP0SDI
— azcentral (@azcentral) January 19, 2018
“We understand there is a market for war memorabilia and that serious collectors are interested in items like this,” Ken Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League told the broadcaster.
“While we don’t have an issue with Nazi-era automobiles like this going up for auction, we would not want to see the vehicle winding up in the hands of someone who would use it to glorify Hitler or the deeds of the Nazis. Ideally, we would prefer to see it housed in a museum, so that it could be understood in its proper context,” he said.
The car’s last sale took place when an anonymous collector in Russia bought it for an unknown value. It’s believed the Russian is now selling it.
From NTD.tv
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