Brad Pitt pays £250,000 for Nazi motorbike

Brad Pitt - who has long been an enthusiastic collector of motorbikes - has enlarged his stable by buying a 1942 machine that was used by the Nazis during the second world war.

The 51-year-old star is said to have become 'obsessed' with wartime relics after starring in last year's blockbuster Fury, which follows a US tank crew in Nazi Germany during the final days of the war.

And he's now snapped up the three-wheeler, which was used by a German reconnaissance unit in Crete, for £250,000.

The bike was sold through a local auction by the Nazis at the end of the war, and fifty years later came into the hands of an Athenian bike collector named Yannis, who has now sold it on to Pitt.

"There are only around 500 of these bikes worldwide, so they are collector's pieces like paintings, and go up in value all the time. It's a way for wealthy people to invest their money and also enjoy their hobby," Yannis tells the Mirror.

"Even the parts are expensive if they are original. I had to replace a small piece of metal on this bike and it cost me £1,500."

Pitt already has around ten bikes himself - and has even bought a Suzuki DRZ-125 for his eldest son, Maddox, now 14.

Two years ago, he bought a custom Ecosse Titanium Series XX bike, said to be the most expensive motorcycle in the world.

This latest addition to the collection, though, is not only rare but hard to acquire. Not one of the major auction houses worldwide will touch Nazi memorabilia, and even eBay recently banned sales on its site.

However, it's still big business, estimated to be worth more than $47 million a year, and there are a number of specialist websites, including one run by notorious Holocaust denier David Irving.

Vehicles are particularly popular, with one Mercedes car owned by Adolf Hitler himself selling for almost $7.8 million in 2009.

However, not all artifacts with a Nazi link command such high prices. Last year, we reported on the New Jersey car mechanic who was trying to sell a toilet that had been salvaged from a yacht once owned by Hitler.

He did manage to shift it in the end, to an unnamed British TV production company - but only netted $5,000.

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