This would have been nice for Lemmy's collection

[Basvarken]

Hitler's parade Mercedes-Benz is under the hammer.
(Some of the proceeds will go toward Holocaust education)


https://www.autoblog.com/2017/12/20/adolf-hitler-mercedes-parade-car-auction/

[uwe]

  In the past, Holocaust organisations have always refused donations from such sources.

Ironically, our beloved Führer did not even have a Führerschein (driver's license) ...





He was an entirely self-taught talent as Austrians tend to be.

[Basvarken]

Did he even drive?

[Highlander]

Drove people nuts... like squirrels, sheds and Hellcats... 

[uwe]

Nope, lot's of people didn't back then. My grandfather had a drivers license in our home town in the late 20ies and he was like one of three in a population of more than 6.000. He was the chauffeur of a local attorney.

Hitler had a sense for technology (he liked the company of engineers, scientists, pilots and architects), but he never wanted to personally master it. When the Bismarck was inspected by him in dry dock he asked the noteworthy question: "And what happens if that rudder gets hit?" (and didn't get a straightforward answer). A couple of years later he knew: Even with a damaged rudder she can still sink real well!

[66Atlas]

I wondered what happened to that car.  It used to reside in the Imperial Palace Casino in Las Vegas but was sold off with the rest of the collection years ago after Ralph Engelstad passed away.   It's really beautiful car if you can look past who used to sit in the back seat,  well worth selling off a few gibson to pay for 

[uwe]

He mostly stood rather than sat.  And generally preferred air travel (Ju 52 and later four-engine FW 200 Condor) to train or car.

He (or better: the German government) had a couple of these cars, most survived the war and were in circulation with collectors or people that wanted to allegedly blow them up. Hitler was the first politician in Germany to extensively and strategically use air travel, it made him omnipresent and was key for his early successes as a campaigner. Most people had never caught a glimpse of the Kaiser, but unless you wanted to avoid him, you could see Hitler plenty. It's Hitler's aircraft that tell a story, not his cars.

I have a neutral stance on Nazi memorabilia like this, I find it neither collectionworthy  nor (for ethical reasons) -unworthy (the car didn't do anything). That Jewish organisations would not want any proceeds from this, that I understand only too well though.

[Denis]

Apparently Mercedes built around 88 770s (internal model W150) between 1938 and 1943. Of these Hitler apparently used 7 of them.
The earlier 770s (internal model W07) were built between 1931 and 1938.

Neat cars and I'd own one because, well, why not?

I'd rather have a G4 though.

[Highlander]

I'd settle for a VW T1 if you're offering...

Dad never passed his test... learned to drive in 1943... 15cwt trucks...