Stolen $3.8 Million Mercedes Reclaimed by Original Owners Heir
A German family is reclaiming a Mercedes-Benz that recently sold at auction for $3.8 million which was stolen from them by a U.S. soldier during World War II.
Unfortunately for Frans von Haren, the person who bought the car at the California auction last August, bringing it back to Germany meant the rightful owners could reclaim the car with the original bill of sale, which they have.
The 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Roadster was one of 29 built and has a 160-hp straight six engine. According to the original documents, it was sold to Hans Friedrich Prym, the inventor of the clothing snap. When von Haren listed the car for sale in Germany, the Prym family sued to have their rightful property returned to them.
Under German law, the 30-year statute of limitations for theft only starts when the item returns to German soil. According to Prym’s descendants, the car disappeared while he was being held in a U.S. prison and the estate’s care taker was away.
Today, the car sits in an impound lot, but it doesn’t look like von Haren can do much about losing the car.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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