Jack Granatstein, director of the Canadian War Museum, has abandoned the idea of selling a black, bulletproof, Mercedes limousine that once belonged to Adolf Hitler.

One week after he argued that displaying the car gave the wrong image and glamourized Nazism, Granatstein decided not to get rid of it. He had guessed the car might bring $20 million at an auction — money he said would help build a new museum.

But a spate of angry calls and e-mails from the public forced him to abandon the idea. He now says selling the car would fly in the face of public opinion.

Granatstein did not say if the infamous limousine is permanently off the auction block, or if it will be removed from its prominent position on the museum's second floor.

The car has been the most popular exhibit at the museum for 30 years. It was built in 1940 by Daimler-Benz AG of Stuttgart, and Hitler owned six other limousines of its kind.

John English, chairman of the board of trustees for the museum says he is glad the public spoke up about the issue. He says the debate shows Canadians do have an interest in the War Museum and its contents.