Mein Auto: Man unintentionally buys Nazi Benz
Posted Jul 10th 2012 10:00AM
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Every car has its history. Whether it's seen the inside of a garage its whole life, seen a family grow up, or even something more notorious, there's no doubt that every vehicle has a story behind it.
Fred Daibes is the owner of a classic 1942 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet D. Imagine his surprise when, after running the VIN, Mercedes told him he was the owner of Adolf Hitler's automobile.
A small insignia, the Nazi eagle, indicated the car was made for the Nazi regime. Some believe this was Hitler's personal vehicle, but according to Adam Paige, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman, this isn't the case.
Read on after the jump.
Paige, collaborating with an expert at Merc, told the New York Times that Hitler would have drove the Type 770. The fact that the 320 was more of a middle class vehicle immediately makes it very unlikely that it was indeed Hitler's personal car.
The more likely case is that the car was for one of Hitler's generals.
Still, the car obviously has history. It survived global warfare and lived to tell the tale. According to Daibes, who had mechanic Zenop Tuncer purchase the vehicle on his behalf, the car was smuggled over to New Jersey by a former Navy man after the war, who in turn passed the car along to his grandson after his death. Tuncer, on Daibes' behalf, would eventually buy the car for a sum of US$180,000.
Like so many other notorious autos, people want to get their hands on them. Daibes has turned down an offer of US$1.5 million for the car. Now, obviously, the Nazi regime represents one of the lowest points in human history, but Daibes believes the car, despite the Nazi association, is simply a piece of history.
After all, as Daibes says, a car "has no political agenda". Only its driver does.
News Source: The New York Times
Image Credit: European Picture Service
