The story begins in Sarajevo. Sarajevo then was in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a state recently annexed by the imperial court of Vienna. The Hapsburg Dynasty gave an open topped limousine, as a gift, to the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the troubled throne. The Archduke rode in it for the first and last time in July of 1914 on a state visit to Sarajevo.
In the limo with the him on this day were his beloved wife the Archduchess Sophie Ferdinand,General Potiorek of the Austian Army, three Austrian Dignitaries, and of course the driver. During an official tour of the city, a nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip stepped out onto the road and shot into the limo. Both Franz and Sophie were shot and killed.
Soon after this incident, World War I began.
Soon after the Archduke's death a general by the name of Potiorek became the next victim "errr" i mean owner of the car. A few weeks into World War I his armies suffered a disasterous rout at the hands of the weak and disorganized army of Serbia. After the embaressing loss to Serbia, General Portiorek was summoned back to Vienna by the Emperor Franz Josef I.
There in Vienna, the Emperor made an example out of the general by humiliating him. With his reputation in ruines, he lost all grip on reality and became insane. He died in Vienna a raging lunatic in an asylum.
Soon after General Portiorek was summoned back to Vienna, a captain from his personal staff was given ownershipof the cursed limousine. Nine days later he was driving down a narrow road. Two peasants walked out in
front of him. The captain, trying to avoid them, swerved and lost control of the vehicle. The 2 peasants were hit and killed. He then rammed into a tree on the side of the road. The crash killed him instantly. The curse of the limousine takes anothe life.
The car remained ownerless for a couple years after the captain's death. After World War I ended, the governor of newly independent Yugoslavia claimed ownership of the limo. After he had the car restored to look brand new, the governor endured a series of terrible accidents. One of these accidents was so severe, he had to have his left arm amputated him his left arm.
Having no use for the limousine anymore, the governor sold it to a doctor. For six months, the doctor had no problems with the limo. Then one night he mysteriously loss control of the car, and tipped the limousine upside down into a ditch. The subsequent crash killed him. For he was trapped under the car, and crushed to death.
The car was passed over from the doctor to a relation of his. A diamond dealer by the name of Simon Mantharides. Simon had the limousine for almost a year. During that year, he seemed to have no ill fated luck befall upon him. Then one day out of the blue, Simon Mantharides was found dead in his house. He had committed suicide. Strike up another body for the cursed limousine.
The limousine was then passed into the hands of a Swiss racing driver. He didnt have the limo for long though. He was killed while driving it. The limo swerved off the road and crashed against a stone wall, throwing him over the wall and killing him.
The next in line of victims was a Serbian farmer. This undisclosed farmer bought the limousine for an unbelievable sum because of its now infamous historical background. One morning the limo would not start. So knowing he needed to get into town to get some help to fix the limousine, he hitched a ride on a horse and cart. Unknowingly, the farmer forgot to switch off the ignition, and the engine started up suddenly. With the sudden start of the engine, the limo lurched forward into the horse and cart. The farmer was thrown from his ride. The cart then fell on him, crushing the farmer to death.
The last known death from the cursed limo was a garage owner that restored the limousine to look like new. He was on his way to a wedding in the limousine with 6 other friends when his tragedy happened. The garage owner and his friends were late for the wedding and tried to pass a long line of vehicles in the breakdown lane of the highway. The limousine spun out of control and crashed on the side of the road. The crash killed both him and four of the six friends that were riding with him.
The limousine is now parked harmlessly in a Viennese museum. Since the last crash it has been restored to its former beauty. But, has not been driven on the road. From what I understand, no one is brave eough to attempt it
