Australian billionaire and Senate-hopeful Clive Palmer is an avid collector of cars.
In 2013, he held the ‘Palmer Motorama’ vintage car exhibition showing off his personal collection, and a year later he famously drove to parliament in a Rolls-Royce during his single term as the member for Fairfax.
But in late February, talk of another rare acquisition was swirling.
If some reports were to be believed, apparently, Mr Palmer had bought Adolf Hitler’s “super Mercedes” that was designed and built for parades. There is only a handful of its kind on the private market.
The Nazi dictator’s bulletproof Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen was seized by the US Army when World War Two ended but has changed hands several times since.
On 26 February, it was by the Courier Mail that the armoured vehicle was now owned by Mr Palmer, and believed to be the latest addition to his collection. The newspaper reported that negotiations had been underway for two years between Mr Palmer and an unnamed Russian billionaire.
This is not the first time the anonymous Russian seller has sprung up.
Back in 2018, there were reports a Russian seller had put the vehicle up for auction through Worldwide Auctioneers in Arizona in the US. But, the car didn’t sell because a $US7 million bid didn’t cut it at the time.
The 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser Offener Tourenwagen, ordered by, built for, and used by, Nazi Adolf Hitler, was auctioned in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2018. Source: AFP / LAURA SEGALL/AFP via Getty Images
A spokesperson from Palmer's United Australian Party (UAP) told The Feed on Monday it was all “fake news”. The Feed asked the UAP if there were ever talks of a potential acquisition, but the spokesperson did not directly answer that question.
On 2 March, Labor MP Patrick Gorman wrote to Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews asking the government to stop Mr Palmer from “importing Hitler’s car using the Customs Act”.
“There is no reason for the importation of these obscene objects into Australia, billionaire or not,” he said on Twitter.
In his letter, he said many constituents were concerned about the message the alleged purchase sent and asked for Mr Palmer to be “urgently investigated”.
“Finally, there are also reports that this purchase is from an unnamed Russian billionaire. As the name of the individual is not yet known, there is potential that Mr Palmer may find himself in breach of Australian sanctions.”
The timing of the alleged acquisition is unclear, but reports of long-term negotiations could mean it was made before the sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine were brought in.
On 3 March, in comments to other media organisations, Ms Andrews said:
“If an individual contravenes our sanctions regime there will be serious consequences under Australian law. The bottom line is, no one gets a special deal and the rules apply to all.
“The government absolutely condemns any glorification of Nazi history and neo-Nazi extremist activity in Australia.”
Classic cars pose a customs risk because parts can often contain asbestos – a toxic and banned material.
Importers and exporters are responsible for ensuring they don’t bring in a prohibited substance.
Offences relating to asbestos importation by individuals can attract fines of up to $180,000 or three times the value of the goods, whichever is the greater.
On 4 March, Mr Palmer said he would commence legal proceedings against Ms Andrews for “spreading outrageous fake news”.
“These outrageous lies have caused considerable damage to my reputation and I will be bringing the people responsible to account through the courts,” Mr Palmer said in a press release.
The Home Affairs office declined to comment.
