A 1941 Mercedes Benz 540K Cabriolet, custom built for Hermann Goering, is shown while being restored in this 2013 photo released to Reuters on June 26, 2014. Auction website eBay has refused to list the Second World War-era Mercedes Benz once owned Adolf Hitler’s close confidant.HANDOUT/Reuters
Online auction site eBay has refused a Florida car restoration company's bid to sell a 1941 Mercedes Benz 540K Cabriolet that was custom-built for Hitler henchman Hermann Goering.
"eBay has policies that prohibit the sale of offensive materials and content, including Nazi-related items," eBay spokesman Ryan Moore told the Sun-Sentinal in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The car features a raised back to accommodate a parade platform, sirens, and a short-wave radio. Goering took possession of it in 1941 and used it in parades and for travel. It was seized by the Allies upon defeating the Nazis to end the Second World War.
The vehicle eventually was shipped to the United States and has been sitting in the garage of a North Carolina collector since 1955.
The one-of-a-kind Benz is being restored by High Velocity Classics, of Pompano Beach, and European Cars of Boca, in Boca Raton. Steven Saffer, general manager of High Velocity Classics, told the Sun-Sentinal that it will cost about $750,000 (all figures U.S.) to rebuild, but once restored, the car should fetch between $5-million and $7-million at auction.
Goering, a First World War flying ace, founded the Gestapo and was, for a time, the second most-powerful man in war-time Germany behind Adolf Hitler. In 1946, Goering was found guilty of war crimes at the Nuremberg trials but committed suicide the night before he was to be hanged.
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Darren McGee