Over the weekend, German police raided a rare car auction in Munich. The police were particularly looking for the chassis number of a sought-after Mercedes 300SL Roadster.
Over the weekend, German police raided a car auction organized by RM Sotheby's in Munich.
The background for the police action was suspicion of manipulation of the chassis number of a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster that was to be sold at the auction. The car has previously been the subject of an investigation into falsified registration numbers, which aroused the police's interest.
This is written by KfZ-Betrieb .
On Sunday afternoon, the car was thoroughly examined by police technicians. Through an MRI scan, law enforcement found that the vehicle's license plate number was placed incorrectly.
Specifically, a little further to the left than the location of the frame number from the factory. In addition, remnants of a previous chassis number were discovered as well as traces of sanding where the original number should have been.
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According to the police's assessment, these signs could indicate that the car's identity may have been changed.
The auction house RM Sotheby's maintains that the frame number was correct. The company states that the number matches the body, chassis and engine.
Despite the police findings, the car was sold at auction. But the auction house's description of the car was changed to reflect the situation.
A press spokesman from the auction company has declined to comment on the police findings. The spokesman pointed out, however, that the buyer was fully informed about the presence of the police and the ongoing investigation.
It was also emphasized that neither the auction house nor their staff have been involved in previous cases of falsified chassis numbers.
The police investigation is part of a larger case that has already focused on the same seller. However, it is important to note that the seller is not part of the RM Sotheby's organization. The current case nevertheless highlights the challenges of verifying the authenticity of historic livery, especially when it comes to valuable cars like the Mercedes 300 SL Roadster.
It is far from the first time that fraud with vehicle registration numbers has hit the world of cars. This kind of thing has already led to several judgments here at home. As recently as this year, a psychic was convicted for his role in a similar case involving luxury cars and fake documents. Read more about it here .
