Al Capone’s armored 1928 Cadillac with gunfight window up for auction this weekend

Ever since gangster Al Capone became a guest of the U.S. penitentiary system, artifacts of his reign over Chicago's underworld have held a special allure . This weekend, a 1929 Cadillac V-8 sedan will go on sale after finally being proven to have been Capone's personal ride -- as if the first-of-its-kind armored plating and drop rear window designed for gunfights weren't evidence enough. (UPDATED)

Getting the records straight on a historical vehicle can be tricky business; just ask the auctioneers who thought they were selling a hearse that carried President John F. Kennedy's body but was later revealed to be a movie prop. In the case of Capone's wheels, those kinds of records never existed in the first place, because Capone was a master of hiding his assets well before Eliot Ness came knocking.

This 1928 Cadillac V-8 had all the signs of the ride a gangster would use. Its green body and black bumpers match the colors of Chicago police cars of the era, and it came with the first police-band radio put in private hands. At one point, it held some 3,000 lbs. of asbestos-wrapped steel armor plating, and the glass in the windows not designed to quick-drop for return fire is one inch thick. There's even a hidden siren.