Its history and it can be yours. The forthcoming Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Memorabilia by Bonham’s scheduled for August 14 is creating a lot of ruffle in the air. The reason? Well, it is featuring an iconic Grand Prix racing car, the 1939 Auto Union D-type racer. The car is legendary for its rear-mounted 3-liter twin-stage supercharged V12-cylinder engine. But that’s not the only reason why it is so famous. We are told that this rare vintage car was one of Hitler’s favorites.

One of the only three of its kind, this one was driven by Hans Stuck, who was a friend of Hitler’s in the 1939 Grand Prix racing season. An Auto Union race care, this 1938-39 V12 was designed to meet the benchmarks set by the international regulations governing Grand Prix racing.

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The man could probably be the most disliked person in the followed (closely followed by George Bush, many would think), but Hitler continues to make news, and may we say ’sell’. After the much publicized auction of his globe and a film made about him (remember ‘Valkyrie’), it is his car that has got the attention of the world. A 1939 Fiat Torpedo is the talk of the global village for it was used by the King of Italy to drive Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and General Franco around Rome.

Up for auction at the International Auction House, this roadster is expected to close the deal at a whopping $377,000; we wonder who will buy it? Anyway, let’s talk about the car bit more. We hear, this one was introduced in 1938 to target the elite. Apparently, the car in reference was in personal use of the Prince of Pimento and Countess Calvi di Bergolo too in 1939 only to become the official car of King Vitto Emanuele II of Italy the next year.

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