Fröhlich with Hitler's former Mercedes. Photo: DPA

Antique car dealer finds Hitler's Mercedes

Published: 23 Nov 09 15:07 CET
Updated: 23 Nov 09 15:57 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20091123-23455.html

A Düsseldorf antique car dealer working on behalf of a Russian billionaire told The Local on Monday he has located a Mercedes limousine belonging to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler after a painstaking two-month search.

The midnight blue 770K model vehicle was locked away in a Bielefeld collector’s garage with seven others also previously owned by Nazi party officials, Michael Fröhlich said, confirming an earlier report by Cologne-based daily Express.

A middleman approached the 59-year-old with the task of finding the dictator’s car for a Russian billionaire several weeks ago.

“I know it belonged to Hitler after confirming it with Mercedes myself,” he told The Local.

During his lengthy search, the car expert discovered that after the Second World War ended the vehicle had been sold in Austria before it landed in the Imperial Palace car museum in Las Vegas. From there it went to a brewery mogul’s collection in Munich, but the man's widow sold the car in 2008.

Last week he got a tip as to who the buyer was and is now negotiating with potential buyers, contrary to Express reporting the car had already been purchased and would be taken to Moscow.

The paper also estimated the vehicle’s worth at between €4 and €10 million, a sum Fröhlich refused to confirm.

“The cars are all still here and no money has changed hands,” he said.

Fröhlich said he has the car’s original papers and repair logs and matched the licence plate number - 1A 148461 – to old photos of Hitler in the vehicle during a parade.

He also checked with the public prosecutor’s office to ensure that the auto sale was legal.

The sale of the vehicle is expected to be finalised within the next few days, he said.

The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

16:12 November 23, 2009 by berlinski
WOW! I wonder how much for Stalin's car?
17:37 November 23, 2009 by Richard Frye
Yep we sure are in Germany, the Hitler picture sure didn't last long.
22:50 November 23, 2009 by maxbrando
You Germans are such hypociites. You send folks to NYC to ensure that no nformation provided by Germany is used to try to hang the 9/11 criminals, but you have no problem with the commercial trafficking of Hitler memorabilia - even though it is forbidden for all other Germans and foreigners. Hypocrites!
17:37 November 24, 2009 by lordwilliams629
I have no problem with selling historical things such as this, even though it belonged to a beast. But i do have to agree with you max, it says alot about the german goverment when they send people over to insure that these people dont get put to death by the evidence germany sends them. Do the germans have no shame, i mean 9/11 was planned in a german apartment. 3000 people murderd my god.
22:02 November 24, 2009 by smallerkatz
I saw this Mercedes at the Imperial Palace in the late 90's.A manican dressed as Der Füher was giving the salute standing in the rear seating area.It looked kind of cheesie. However I feel the Mercedes is a work of art. It's history has made it an ultimate Dritte Reich collectable.
01:48 November 25, 2009 by locally
Out there are lots of important things for the benefits of Human that needs to be found and discovered.

He found his car.Next will be his Clothes or shoes.

Unreasonable clown.
09:36 November 26, 2009 by Bushdiver
I see nothing wrong with selling that car or anything else that was Nazi related. All this kind of stuff still has it's place in history and certainly of interest for people that like collecting such things. Hell, if I had the money I would of bought that car myself. I think it's beautiful regardless of who the owner was. Let's face it, burying all the Nazi stuff that's still around isn't going to make people forget they ever existed.
18:02 November 27, 2009 by NAB
An iconic car and one of the most impressive limousines ever built by Mercedes (or any other manufacturer). It deserves to be kept and maintained on that basis alone, regardless of who owned it. Personally I would feel uneasy being seen in this car, but no-one can deny it is a significant historical item.
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