Nazi-era racing car to go under hammer

A RARE Nazi-era racing car hidden in a German mine shaft during the Second World War and said to be worth millions is on display in New York City.

The sleek silver D-Type from Audi forerunner Auto Union, which was restored in England, is on display at the car company’s showroom in Park Avenue.

It will be auctioned as part of Christie’s Retromobile auto sale on February 17 in Paris and is expected to fetch between €9.5 million and a record €11.8m.

While Adolf Hitler gave about 500,000 reichsmarks to Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz to promote racing and technology, the car was not specifically connected with the Third Reich, Christie’s said.

The Porsche-designed car, one of only two in existence, is thought to be the grandfather of modern racing cars. It revolutionised racing by putting the driver in front of the engine instead of behind it and it reached speeds up to 185mph.

“This car was really quite ahead of its time,” said Rupert Banner, head of Christie’s International Motor Cars division. “It was revolutionary. It changed the face of racing.”

More than 20 Auto Union series cars were built between 1933 and 1939. This model, which has a body shaped like an aircraft fuselage, was designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The driver sits sunken into the body of the metal, and the wheels, which look like oversize bicycle tyres, have independent suspension.

During the European motorsports heyday just before the Second World War, the D-Type won the 1939 French Grand Prix. The Silver Arrow, as it was known, also was filmed winding through country roads for use in newsreels across Europe.