Herman Goering’s 1941 Mercedes Benz 540k Cabriolet B is being sold on eBay.
Herman Goering was a nasty guy by all accounts, but he had pretty exquisite taste in cars. The gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 540k Cabriolet B he commissioned to be built in 1940 goes on sale next week.
Equipped with a supercharged V8 engine and short-wave radio, the Merc was one of the last of its kind to be built. It still has all its original parts and has a meticulously documented history.
The Nazi was second in command to Hitler and head of the German Air Force during World War Two. Goering had the car built with a number of unusual additions. The car features sirens, a special chassis supporting a raised rear seat and a parade stand.
The car came to be in the possession of an American after the invasion of Berchtesgaden – Hitler’s mountain retreat – by Allied Forces. Colonel John Heintges of United States’ 7th Infantry used it as a staff vehicle until it was shipped to the States and into the care of a car collector based in North Carolina. The Mercedes-Benz 540k Cabriolet B resided here for 60 years and will be sold on auction site, eBay.
It isn’t yet known how much the car is likely to fetch, but with such a colourful history, it is bound to go for a fair wedge. Goering was quite the collector of art and other possessions, which have found homes across the world. Few are more high profile than the rug that sits in Angela Merkel’s office. Perhaps the German Prime Minister likes the idea of trampling the memory of that period, which blighted her country’s reputation for so long, each time she crosses the room.
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