[MRM]

The part was made in Germany, but not necessarily for a German car brand. The part is marked as made in Western Germany, not West Germany. The western part of Germany still exists but the country of West Germany is fortunately a relic of history.

The error suggests that it was either manufactured relatively close to the end of the war, before Germans exporting to the US got universally fluent in translating German to English and might have stamped a part "Western" Germany. Or it was manufactured in Germany for an American company and the guy responsible for marking parts was an American who didn't differentiate between "West" and western.

For what it's worth, I think the translation error has the vibe of an American who didn't know better rather than a poor German translation, I'd expect Germans to know the name of their country, even in English, but I could be wrong.

I also agree that it's more likely a dash-mounted rear view mirror. Did anyone manufacture a British or Italian car in post-war Germany that was exported to the US or could have been brought home by a GI?