Drizzt
Member
Soldier buys well-equipped Mercedes in Iraq
August 2, 2005, 1:40 AM EDT
DANBURY, Conn. -- First Sgt. William von Zehle bought a loaded Mercedes Benz while serving in Iraq, and its accessories make him wonder about the previous owner.
The Mercedes Benz 560 has armor plating, bulletproof glass, microphones and a "crowd-control device" that consists of a series of pipes that shoot out flames from the side of the car.
"I guess it was to make sure nobody got too close," said von Zehle, a Wilton firefighter. "One of the neat things, aside from the fact it's armored, is it has microphones that allow you to hear people talking outside the car and loudspeakers so you can talk back to them."
Von Zehle, who bought the car last year in Bahgdad while serving with the Danbury-based 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, suspects the car once belonged to deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
After doing some research, Von Zehle determined Mercedes sold three armored 560s to the Iraqi government in 1988. In 1988, the Iraqi government could only mean one person.
"Saddam," von Zehle said. "I am pretty sure but I can't prove it, but yeah, this was Saddam Hussein's car."
He also came across three photos of the former Iraqi dictator driving in a white armored Mercedes.
The Ridgefield resident spotted the car in a driveway in an upscale neighborhood soon after he arrived in Baghdad in April 2003.
The anxious owner, worried the soldier was going to just take the car, began yelling at von Zehle in Arabic. But it turned out the owner spoke English as well and soon he and von Zehle were dealing.
"I told him I collect Mercedes and just wanted to take a look at the car. He asked me if I wanted to buy it," von Zehle said. "We started to negotiate. In the Middle East, you don't just buy anything. You haggle a bit."
The Iraqi man produced a sales receipt showing he bought it from "the Iraqi government." He also lived in an a section of Baghdad known for its sympathy to Saddam.
The two finally settled on a price 7 million Iraqi dinars or about $5,000. Von Zehle took his new car back to the 411th's guarded compound, right next to the United Nations headquarters.
"Everyone thought it was pretty neat," von Zehle said. "They also thought I was crazy. In hindsight, I guess I was."
Von Zehle arrived in Connecticut before the car. His Mercedes went from Jordan to Syria to Greece to Spain before finally arriving in New Jersey in May, 2004.
Von Zehle has fixed everything but a broken front passenger window. A new bulletproof window costs $14,170 and it isn't the kind of item local auto parts stores carry.
The car sits in von Zehle's garage.
"One day I'll get it registered," he said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...,0,5241817.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut
August 2, 2005, 1:40 AM EDT
DANBURY, Conn. -- First Sgt. William von Zehle bought a loaded Mercedes Benz while serving in Iraq, and its accessories make him wonder about the previous owner.
The Mercedes Benz 560 has armor plating, bulletproof glass, microphones and a "crowd-control device" that consists of a series of pipes that shoot out flames from the side of the car.
"I guess it was to make sure nobody got too close," said von Zehle, a Wilton firefighter. "One of the neat things, aside from the fact it's armored, is it has microphones that allow you to hear people talking outside the car and loudspeakers so you can talk back to them."
Von Zehle, who bought the car last year in Bahgdad while serving with the Danbury-based 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, suspects the car once belonged to deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
After doing some research, Von Zehle determined Mercedes sold three armored 560s to the Iraqi government in 1988. In 1988, the Iraqi government could only mean one person.
"Saddam," von Zehle said. "I am pretty sure but I can't prove it, but yeah, this was Saddam Hussein's car."
He also came across three photos of the former Iraqi dictator driving in a white armored Mercedes.
The Ridgefield resident spotted the car in a driveway in an upscale neighborhood soon after he arrived in Baghdad in April 2003.
The anxious owner, worried the soldier was going to just take the car, began yelling at von Zehle in Arabic. But it turned out the owner spoke English as well and soon he and von Zehle were dealing.
"I told him I collect Mercedes and just wanted to take a look at the car. He asked me if I wanted to buy it," von Zehle said. "We started to negotiate. In the Middle East, you don't just buy anything. You haggle a bit."
The Iraqi man produced a sales receipt showing he bought it from "the Iraqi government." He also lived in an a section of Baghdad known for its sympathy to Saddam.
The two finally settled on a price 7 million Iraqi dinars or about $5,000. Von Zehle took his new car back to the 411th's guarded compound, right next to the United Nations headquarters.
"Everyone thought it was pretty neat," von Zehle said. "They also thought I was crazy. In hindsight, I guess I was."
Von Zehle arrived in Connecticut before the car. His Mercedes went from Jordan to Syria to Greece to Spain before finally arriving in New Jersey in May, 2004.
Von Zehle has fixed everything but a broken front passenger window. A new bulletproof window costs $14,170 and it isn't the kind of item local auto parts stores carry.
The car sits in von Zehle's garage.
"One day I'll get it registered," he said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...,0,5241817.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut
The Cesiumsponge Museum...yeah I'll uh...display it and stuff. I know I'd use it as my doomsday limo 
