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Germany - Civilian Motor Vehicles

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BruceDuncan

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Friday, October 22nd 2010, 12:57am

Germany - Civilian Motor Vehicles

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BruceDuncan

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Friday, October 22nd 2010, 1:00am

Steyr Model 50

The foresight of Karl Jenschke, who recognised the need for a small, simple automobile to meet the demand of the expanded German market, brought forth the Steyr 50 sedan early in 1935. The car was solidly built, with a water-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine driving the rear wheels through a four speed transmission. It was economical and, despite its compact dimensions, surprisingly roomy. While its sales were small in comparison to comparison to the products of Opel, BMW or DKW, it attained a niche market in its Austrian home and was successfully exported to the Balkans, many finding their way to Hungary.

Sales:

1935 – 613
1936 – 3,033
1937 – 3,801
1938 – 3,465
1939 – 3,139

BruceDuncan

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Saturday, November 6th 2010, 5:44pm

Opel P4

The Opel P4 was introduced in 1935 as an economy companion to the Opel Olympia, intended for the lower end of the German home market and for export abroad. Originally offered at RM 2,440, its price was reduced to RM 1,830 during the 1937 model year. It was offered in four-seat sedan, two-seat estate or light utility, and two-seat enclosed van configurations. During its five years of production it proved quite popular, more than 100,000 examples of all types being sold at to customers across Europe. Its successor, the Opel Kadett, was introduced in the 1939 model year, and the last examples of the P4 left the factory early in 1940.


BruceDuncan

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Sunday, November 7th 2010, 12:30am

Mercedes Benz 170V

When introduced in 1935 the Mercedes Benz 170V offered the German middle class a vehicle of relative luxury and reliability at a price under RM 4,000, depending upon body style. While the limousine, in two and four-door configurations proved to be the best sellers, the up-market cabriolet, at RM 4,700, was not far behind. A van version of the 170V was also produced, and many were acquired by the Reichspost and the Prussian Landpolezei. Nearly 77,000 vehicles of the 170V were produced in Stuttgart between 1935 and 1940, when the design went out of production.


BruceDuncan

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Wednesday, November 17th 2010, 12:48am

Auto Union - DKW F8

The DKW F8 compact front wheel drive sedan was introduced in 1938. It was slightly shorter than its predecessor the F7 despite having a marginally increased wheelbase. It was offered in cabriolet, limousine, sport-cabriolet and van configurations.
The small DKWs were among the best selling small cars in Germany during the 1930s, and regular model replacement was part of Auto Union's successful marketing strategy.

Sales to date comprise

1938 1939
Cabriolet 1,412 3,877
Limousine 1,236 4,951
Sport-Cabriolet 747 1,091
Van 380 911
5,713 12,769


This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "BruceDuncan" (Nov 17th 2010, 12:50am)

BruceDuncan

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Thursday, November 18th 2010, 12:42pm

Opel Olympia

The Opel Olympia was introduced at the 1935 Berlin Motor Show as a small family car, complementing the smaller P4. Named in anticipation of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games it featured all-steel unitary body construction, a feature that allowed the weight of the vehicle to be reduced significantly. The Olympia also saw the introduction of spot welding into German automobile production techniques.

It was offered in cabriolet and sedan configurations, with prices starting at RM 3,000, which in the 1937 model year were reduced to a base price of RM 2,600. The Opel plant in Rüsselsheim turned out Olympias by the thousand until the design was replaced in the 1940 model year by the Opel Kadett.


BruceDuncan

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Saturday, November 20th 2010, 1:57am

Mercedes Benz 230L

The Model 230L was introduced in 1936 as a luxury counterpart to the established 170V; it was available in several body styles – a cabriolet priced at RM 8,400, a six-seat tourer priced at RM 7,200, a limousine priced at RM 5,900 and a Pullman landaulet priced at RM 7,100; the basic chassis was priced at RM 4,700.

Sales in the first year were brisk – no fewer that 3,500 examples being sold in the months following the 1936 Berlin Auto Show; 7,100 examples were sold the following year, 6,400 in 1938 and 5,300 in 1939 – more than 22,000 examples to date.

BruceDuncan

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Monday, November 22nd 2010, 12:24pm

Opel Kadett

The Kadett was introduced to the motoring public at the 1939 Novi Sad Auto Show, and was intended as a successor to the venerable P4 at the lower end of Opel’s range. It shared with the Olympia a chassis-less monocoque construction, designed for high-volume, low-cost production. The first Kadetts left the production line at Rüsselsheim late in 1939.

The Kadett is marketed in several configurations, including a 2-door light limousine priced at RM 2,200, a 4-door limousine priced at RM 2,400, and a 2-door cabriolimousine priced at RM 2,300.


BruceDuncan

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Tuesday, November 23rd 2010, 3:11am

Hanomag Sturm

The Hanomag Sturm of 1937 represented the first, and final, essay of the Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG into the high-end portion of the German auto market. Successful with its Rekord and Kurrier models of the early 1930s the firm introduced the larger Sturm to compete with BMW, Horch and Mercedes-Benz, with somewhat predictable results. The cabriolet model was priced at RM 6,000, with the limousine models even costlier – and while the initial model year saw 2,560 examples finding buyers, sales were a disappointing 2,200 units in 1938 and in 1939 a mere 1,200 examples were completed before sales were suspended prior to the close of the model year.


This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "BruceDuncan" (Nov 23rd 2010, 3:14am)

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Tuesday, November 23rd 2010, 2:00pm

Hanomag Kurier

Hanomag’s Kurier was one of its more successful designs, building upon the popular Rekord and competing directly with the mass-marketers Ford and Opel. A robust design it was the first German middle-class car to feature hydraulic foot brakes on al; wheels. In the year of its introduction, 1934, a total of 2,680 units were sold; sales climbed to 5,490 units in 1935 – which proved to be the highpoint. The following year, 1936, saw 3,280 units leave the factory, with 3,020 and 3,030 units being sold in the succeeding two years. 1,090 units were completed in 1939 before the firm terminated automobile production in favor of its line of trucks and tractors.


BruceDuncan

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Tuesday, November 23rd 2010, 8:28pm

Opel Kapitän

The Kapitän was introduced to the motoring public at the 1940 Geneva Auto Show, and represents Opel first large-scale essay into the upper end of the German car market, competing head-to-head with the Horch 900 series. It shares with the Olympia a chassis-less monocoque construction, designed for high-volume, low-cost production. The first Kapitäns left the production line at Rüsselsheim early in 1940.

The Kapitän is marketed in several configurations, including a 2-door light limousine priced at RM 3,375, a 4-door limousine priced at RM 3,975, and a 2-door cabriolet priced at RM 4,325.


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Wednesday, November 24th 2010, 2:31pm

Hanomag Rekord

The Hanomag Rekord proved to be the firm’s best-selling vehicle during the decade of the 1930s, selling more than 19,000 vehicles over the period 1934-1939. It was a solidly built machine with a sprightly performance, and was produced in two basic body styles – a 2-door sedan and a 2-door cabriolet. Originally priced at RM 2,500, the Rekord’s selling price was reduced in 1936 to RM 2,300, to better compete with Opel’s P4. While 1936 proved to be the year of peak sales, the increasing market share of Germany’s “Big Three” automakers – Ford, Opel and Auto-Union – cast a pall on continuing car sales by Hanomag. The last Rekords left the assembly lines in mid-1939 and Hanomag concentrated its efforts on trucks and tractors.

Sales by year: 1934 – 1,710 units; 1935 – 4,170 units; 1936 – 5,325 units; 1937 – 3,910 units; 1938 – 3,200 units; 1939 – 1,340 units.


BruceDuncan

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Friday, November 26th 2010, 8:34pm

Ford Taunus

Design work on what would become the Ford Taunus began in 1938 at the Ford works at Köln. The new vehicle was intended to bridge the gap in Ford’s offering between the smaller Ford Eifel and the large Ford V-8 limousine. In this respect it was targeted towards the lower middle class, and borrowed heavily on the styling of the American Ford Lincoln Zephyr. It was introduced to the motoring public in 1939 and proved quite popular – with some 8,000 units being sold in the first model year. The car is available in both cabriolet and limousine configuration.


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Friday, November 26th 2010, 11:25pm

Ford Eifel

The Ford Eifel was introduced in 1935 to succeed the less-than-successful Ford Köln, the firm’s version of the Model Y for the German market. Based on the Ford Model C platform the Eifel was a larger automobile with a larger engine and far better performance. It was rewarded with substantial sales in its introductory year and maintained its share of the market through 1938, though faced with much domestic competition, as well as Opel’s P4 and Olympia. The Eifel found a particular niche as a light commercial vehicle, and was also outfitted as a civil ambulance. The Eifel was replaced by the Ford Taunus, and the last Eifels left the production line in the autumn of 1939.


BruceDuncan

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Sunday, November 28th 2010, 2:37am

Auto Union - Horch 853

The Horch 853 represented the upper end of the Auto Union range, Horch being the premier marque of that firm. Introduced in 1935 it was available in both limousine and cabriolet versions. Due to its high cost (RM 15,250 for the limousine variant) the 853 has been produced in relatively small numbers. In the introductory year 149 examples found buyers; in 1936, 172 units were produced. The production quantities for the succeeding years were 240, 235 and 233 respectively. Production of the 853 continues at a low level at the Zwickau factory.


BruceDuncan

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Sunday, November 28th 2010, 10:46pm

Auto-Union Type 60 "Volkswagen"

The Auto-Union Type 60, marketed under the name “Volkswagen” is a small car aimed at the wide middle-class market – in Germany and particularly abroad. Constructed in the most-modern automobile factory in Germany the launch price of the “Volkswagen” has been set at RM 1,350; those exported are expected to sell at the equivalent of RM 1,400 (£60.00), depending upon local tariffs and imposts. The first vehicles emerged from the factory in March 1940, and production was continuing at the rate of seventy-five units per day.


BruceDuncan

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Monday, November 29th 2010, 7:47pm

Auto Union - Wanderer W24

The Wanderer W24 was a middle market car introduced by Wanderer Werke AG in 1937. It was a solid if unremarkable vehicle, based upon a box-frame chassis. At a time when many makes had switched to twelve-volt electric systems, the W24 made do with a six-volt arrangement. It was build primarily as a four-seat sedan with either two or four doors, but a limited number were built as cabriolets. Production was suspended early in 1940 to allow the firm to concentrate on military orders.

23,000 examples of the W24 were produced from 1937 through 1940 – the peak year being 1939, with more than 8,700 units being sold.


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Monday, November 29th 2010, 8:42pm

Auto Union - Wanderer W23

The Wanderer W23 was introduced in 1937 as a successor to the W45, and was aimed at the upper middle-class market dominated by Mercedes Benz. The vehicle itself was unremarkable if reliable, and was often sold as a bare chassis as the basis for light commercial delivery vans. Production was abandoned in 1939 following the construction of barely 10,000 units over three years as the Wanderer Werke itself concentrated on military production and Auto Union concentrated its commercial efforts on its new, low-price “Volkswagen”.


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Monday, November 29th 2010, 10:54pm

Adler Trumpf Junior

The Adler Trumpf Junior was one of Germany’s most successful small cars in the 1930s. It was intended as a small companion car to the larger Adler Trumpf but far exceeded the production and life of the larger car. The Trumpf Junior featured front wheel drive – a feature introduced by the car’s designer Hans Gustav Röhr. The car was marketed in four configurations – a 4-door sedan, a 2-door sports-sedan, a 2-door tourer and a 2-door cabriolet. Production of the Trumpf Junior spanned seven years, with more than 78,000 examples being produced by the Frankfurt works, before the final vehicle left the production line in the spring of 1940.


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Monday, December 6th 2010, 2:13pm

Auto Union – DKW F7

The DKW F7, introduced in 1936, proved to be one of the most successful vehicles manufactured by Auto Union. Between its introduction and the winding down of production in 1938 – a span of nearly thirty months – more than 100,000 units were sold, many for export to Central Europe and South America. Like its predecessor the F5, the F7 featured front-wheel drive, and was available in both basic and luxury sedan configurations, together with a cabriolet. The chassis was also used for various light commercial applications.


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