Bulletproof monster belonging to top Nazi rolls into Fareham | Nostalgia

In 1947 it went on tour to raise money for charity and Mary Spencer, of Fareham, loaned me the photographs.

Her late father was in partnership and owned Boniface & Cousin’s garage and car showroom in West Street, Fareham.

This was where the car was exhibited and Mr Boniface can be seen in the background on the right of the photograph.

The car weighed five tons and was powered an eight-cylinder supercharged 7.7-litre engine.

The engine was roughly 10 times bigger than the average 8hp engine fitted to British cars and equivalent in volume to the average 56-seater bus.

As protection from small arms fire, grenades and mines it had an especially-fitted steel floor.

The bodywork included bulletproof steel fitted into each door panel with the windows and windscreen having five-ply glass, 1.75in thick.

A retractable sheet of steel protected back seat passengers. The car was 20ft long. The gearbox had five forward speeds, the fifth being in overdrive ratio.

As soon as it was realised to whom the car had belonged it was taken into a REME Auxiliary workshop where efforts were made to restore it.

However, souvenir hunters had taken many parts and minor components were missing.

The clutch had been removed and was most probably cannibalised, perhaps under Goering’s orders to put another car of this type on the road.

The car has a Hamburg registration and not that of Berlin as did six other cars that were used byhigh-ranking members of the Nazi party.

In 1947 the car was the property of the War Office which exhibited it to raise cash for war charities.

Mrs Spencer also lent me the aerial view of Fareham. I think we are looking at West Street with the tramlines.

Mrs Spencer says the church on the right was used in the war as a food hall for those short of provisions and clothes. It was also used by sailors as a canteen. In the main part of the church tea and cake was available and below, possibly in the crypt, a snooker table was set up.

I know very little about Fareham now and even less about the town in pre-war days so if any of you can assist with locations, I would be obliged. Thank you.