You have to admit, Mussolini provenance and notorious getaway car are strong selling points. But there’s more. A story of redemption! US Army Major Charles Pettit, who was stationed in occupied Italy, bought the car and shipped it home to America where it sat in his family’s barn for 21 years. In 1970, a high school teacher and antiques expert, learned of the Mussolini connection and snapped up the car for $300.

From the picture below, one might conclude Ron Keno got hosed. But Keno’s dogged investigation of the car’s past led him to Franz Spoggli, the former Nazi who had chauffeured the lovebirds. Spoggli identified the German tool kit found in the trunk of the car as his. Bingo! With the car’s authenticity confirmed, Keno sold the Alfa to a collector (price undisclosed) who then put $570,000 into its restoration. The car that emerged was stunning and sold for $2.1 million in Paris last year.

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