Hitler's dream sports car to fetch record 8.9m
Monday January 8th 2007
IN its day it won two grands prix and reached speeds that would not be surpassed for decades. Now a racer conceived as a symbol of Nazi domination is about to set a new record, as the world's most expensive car, writes David Harrison.
The 15ft 1939 Auto Union D-type is expected to fetch about stg£6m (8.9m) when it goes under the hammer at Christie's in Paris, surpassing the record £5.5m (8.16m) paid for a 1931 Bugatti Royale 20 years ago.
The car's genesis dates back to the 1930s when Adolf Hitler provided funds for two companies, Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz, to start producing racing cars that came to be known as Silver Arrows. The revolutionary three litre cars were designed by the Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche.
The fuhrer's dream was fulfilled when the German cars dominated grand prix racing. Their Silver Arrows won most grands prix races from 1934 onwards. A spokesman for Christie's said the 1939 Auto Union " is more important than the Bugatti Royale, which is a fantastic car, but the Auto Union has everything."
Hitler's dream sports car to fetch record 8.9m - Irish Independent