Autoblog

It'd be hard to find a vehicle that conveys a greater sense of authority and superiority than a Rolls-Royce. How about a Rolls-Royce that previously belonged to a dictator? A year and a half since his execution, several uber-luxury automobiles that belonged to Saddam Hussein are now popping up for sale.

Following previous posts on Saddam's '88 Mercedes 560 SEL and Lamborghini LM002 – to say nothing of fellow executed despot Benito Mussolini's Alfa Romeo – comes the sale of a burgundy Rolls-Royce Corniche owned by the deposed Iraqi dictator. The car was acquired by an Iraqi investor and is being sold by Autocontinental, an importer in Surrey, England. The convertible appeared briefly on eBay before disappearing, suggesting there was either a legal issue or the car was sold. Among the prospective buyers cited by the dealership was a U.S .army colonel who wanted to acquire the license plate SADDAM for the ride. Even if the Corniche has already been sold, don't worry, because there are more coming to market, including another Corniche in blue and a gilded Maybach that Saddam never even drove before his regime collapsed.

[Source: Telegraph]

American forces in Iraq have finally killed Saddam Hussein's son's...car. While his megalomaniacal father garnered the lion's share of notoriety, Saddam's cruel depravity was exceeded by his eldest son's, the erstwhile heir apparent to the Iraqi presidency who was known for murdering people he didn't like at parties and torturing Olympic athletes. It only makes sense that a monster of a person should have driven a monster of an automobile: the Lamborghini LM002.

For those unacquainted with the LM002, picture the offspring of a one-night-stand between an exotic Italian supercar and a tank, and you've got an approximate idea. The truck is known to guzzle gas like a fratboy funnels beer, but that posed little concern for a family with all the oil in the world but no one to sell it to.

According to reports, Uday's "Rambo Lambo", already on its last leg and limping to the grave, was recovered by American soldiers who, apparently failing to identify the significance of the vehicle, used it to test explosives. And so, like the fate of its owner, Uday's Lamborghini was no more. The world may be a better place without the Husseins, but we'll mourn the truck.

[Source: Lamborghini Registry via Jalopnik]

First Sgt. William von Zeal did a little shopping while stationed in Iraq with the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion-- he picked up what is believed to be Saddam Hussein's 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL for around $5,000 from a private owner in Baghdad.

The white Benz in question was fitted with armor plating, loudspeakers, hidden microphones, and... wait for it... flame throwing side pipes. Likely one of three such white Benzes, Von Zeal has yet to definitively prove that his car was Hussein's, but he does have some clues, including a sales receipt listing "the Iraqi government" as previous owners.

But the reservist may not get the chance to prove its provenance once and for all, because he no longer has the car in his possession-- Federal customs agents seized it in New Haven, Connecticut, and are treating it as a "possible war trophy." The car is being held by the government because of potential infringement upon federal smuggling law violations, along with possible breach of an executive order banning the importation of items owned of the former Iraqi government.

Federal agents were holding the car while investigating possible violations of federal smuggling laws, as well as an executive order barring the importation of property from the former Iraqi regime.

Von Zeal has not been charged with any crimes, but the future of the car and the case is uncertain. At least one Autoblogger hopes he gets his ride back... or better yet, CNN officially declares it will never to use the word 'Pimped' in another headline ever again. Ever.

[Source: The Associated Press via CNN; LyricsFreak]

*(With sincerest apologies to Janis Joplin and Keith Barry, our tipster who came up with the reinterpreted ditty that we can't get out of our heads. Because our friends all drive Porsches, we must make amends)