It has always been clear that this was a genuine Auto Union, rescued from Ukraine by collector Paul Karassik during the mid-1980s

The Auto Union D-type that had to be withdrawn from the 2007 Christie’s Rétromobile auction, sending shock waves through the industry, is to be offered for sale again, this time through Bonhams & Butterfields in California, USA, at the prestigious Pebble Beach sale on August 14.

The D-type was forced out of the Christie’s sale when it became clear that its history had been unintentionally misrepresented. It has always been clear that this was a genuine Auto Union, rescued from Ukraine by collector Paul Karassik during the mid-1980s, but research later proved it to be chassis 19, last driven by Hans Stuck in the 1939 French GP at Reims-Gueux, finishing sixth.

It had previously been thought that the car was chassis 21, winner of the 1939 French GP –  identification was difficult because the team ran 11 D-types (the final iteration of the legendary Auto Union racers, with 485bhp V12 engines) through the 1939 season, and cars were stripped down to component parts after every race, then rebuilt using which parts were available, regardless of which cars they originally came from.

The D-type had been expected to sell in 2007 for at least £5 million and it should fetch a similar amount in 2009, despite it not being a race winner after all.