Hermann Goring's Mercedes 540K to be auctioned through eBay

The Mercedes Benz 540K owned top Nazi Hermann Goring has been restored to its original opulence, and will sell through eBay in association with High Velocity Classics.

Hermann Goring Mercedes Benz 540K Cabriolet B
Hermann Goring was one of a few high-ranking Nazi officers with a Mercedes 540K


Bidding opened on June 9.

The 1941 Mercedes Benz 540K was recovered from a North Carolina garage, having been preserved by collector Richard Taylor for almost 60 years. Now acquired by High Velocity Classics, it is currently undergoing a full restoration to concourse quality.

The Cabriolet B was the last of its kind ever built, with just a scant number produced for the highest ranking Nazi officers.

It was taken after the United States' 7th Infantry captured The Berghof, Hitler's Alpine hideout, on May 4, 1945, with Colonel John A Heintges using it as his personal staff vehicle.

As US troops pulled out of Germany, the 540K was then sold to US Staff Sergeant Sam Hosier, who imported his lavish trophy back to Texas in the early 1950s.


When the US Army took control of the car, it was painted olive drab with the army star


Hosier then passed the car to the North Carolina collector in 1955, and it has remained in his garage since.

The astonishing history of the vehicle is meticulously documented, with Mercedes verifying its authenticity.

"We are motivated by the thought that we have found a piece of the war that has been buried. We saved it, and we want to put it into the right hands," commented High Velocity partner David Rathbun.

"We've consulted with the rabbi [Leonid Feldman] at Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach, and following his recommendation, we are going to see if the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington or Yad Vashem in Jerusalem would be interested in it."

A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster topped the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012 at $11.7m, while another is expected to sell for $3.3m at Bonhams' Mercedes sale in July.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a superb range of militaria for sale.


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