For Sale: The Car That Nobody Wants; Reichführer SS Heinrich Himmler’s Car

For a while now, Himmler’s has been on the market for a whopping €500.000, it is in pristine condition and a real looker but it seems to be that the history of the car might be too big a burden for most interested buyers.

The car that belonged to Reichfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler is now for sale. One of the most powerful men of Nazi Germany, he was also one of those directly responsible for the Holocaust.

Having joined the Nazi Party in 1923 then the SS in 1925, he was appointed Reichsfuhrer-SS in 1929 by Hitler himself. During the next 16 years, he grew the SS from its 290-man battalion into a paramilitary group of a million men.

Following the orders of Hitler, he used the SS to establish, set up, and then control concentration camps that destroyed so many lives.

Himmler built extermination camps after having formed the Einsatzgruppen on behalf of Hitler. He served as the facilitator and overseer of the deadly concentration camps where he directed the killing of 6 million Jews and numerous other victims.

The regime killed anywhere from 11 to 14 million people, most of whom were Polish or Soviet citizens.

Himmler in Russia standing in a Wanderer W11
Heinrich Himmler in Russia in 1942 standing in a Wanderer W11 looking at a bicycle troops parading past. (Bundesarchiv)

Known to choose subordinates who were competent and for being well organized, he was Chief of German Police and Minister of the Interior both from 1943 on. In those positions, he oversaw all internal and external security and police forces including the Gestapo.

Realizing that the war had been lost in 1945, he tried to open talks of peace with Western Allies without Hitler knowing about it.

After finding out about Himmler’s plans in April 1945, Hitler dismissed Himmler from all posts and ordered that he be arrested. Attempting to go into hiding, Himmler was arrested by British forces after his identity was revealed. He committed suicide on May 23, 1945, while in British custody.

 

Himmler in Metz, France, visiting the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Note the Wanderer W11 in the background.
Himmler in Metz, France, visiting the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Note the Wanderer W11 in the background. (Bundesarchiv)

His vehicle was first used by Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler before it was handed over to Himmler’s personal staff. Himmler was the vehicle’s last owner, and the car took part in the Russian campaign during January 1945 when Himmler was appointed the commander of the Army Group Vistula.

When the war ended, the car was sent to Russia where it was placed in a museum in Riga. When the museum went bankrupt in 1991, the car was moved again and ended up in the vintage car dealer warehouse of Michael Frohlich.

 

Having operated an Oldtimer Agency in Germany for more than four decades, Frohlich specializes in celebrity vehicles, including the King of Marocco’s Rolls Royce.

Himmler’s car is original and remains in very good condition and has been partially restored. It has been confirmed by WWII historians that is the car Himmler used to oversee millions of mass murders.

The Wanderer W11 is a 6-cylinder, 65-horsepower vehicle with 63,000 kilometers on the clock. It is a four-seater.

 

 

There were more than 5,500 Wander W11s made between 1933 and 1941 with the majority used for towing light artillery pieces such as the 37m, anti-tank gun. The car has a four-speed gearbox that drives the rear wheels.

The car was officially designated as a medium vehicle and weighs 1,780 kg. There have been a few interested parties that have been interested in purchasing the car, but Frohlich refuses to sell the car to neo-Nazis.

He is confident that a rich American collector will eventually purchase the vehicle.

More pictures:

Close up of the drivers console

The rear of the vehicle, note the storage area for ammunition / suitcases

Another shot of Himmler in his Wanderer watching a parade of bicycle troops in Russia. Note the suitcases stacked on the rear of the vehicle.

This is where Himmler would have been seated

Visit Fantastic Cars for more information, image credit: Fantastic Cars

 

Joris Nieuwint

Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years, he has been studying the events for nearly as long. He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us.

@joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint