It was raining all over in the East of Europe, but not in Bad Camberg!! This was a sign. So, on Friday, we packed our camper and drove direction Bad Camberg (D) where every four year this vintage happing is taking place. Traditionally, worldwide rare and lovely special bodies were on the rendezvous. Suddenly on Sunday, for many of us, the pleasure was over as that during the night, a great number of participants their cars has been robbed from their rare stuff. I still feel bad that our cars are nowhere safe anymore. Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

 

Also 2 Enzmann's 506 (more details can be found halfway next page

http://patina.skyblogs.be/archive-month/2007-03) where present as well as Mr. K. Enzmann himself, who came with the owner of the rare fully Porsche equipped Enzmann 506. Note the doors, which were added in order to be able to compete in a different sport category, the nice carrera gauges and the beautiful detailed steering wheel! By the way, an article will be devoted on this car in one of the following Excellence magazine. I am quite sure our camper will not be on the pictures, so here are the original pictures. Thanks a lot Kari and Chris (the photographer) for the lovely evening and I hope to meet you soon guys!

 

By 1950 Porsche was already producing its now infamous 356 roadster, but this did not stop many other coach building firms from building sporting cabriolets and coupes based around the Volkswagen car. Porsche set up production in Stuttgart and this is also where one at the sleekest and most Porsche like VW derivatives was also produced in the 1950s.

Shortly after the war Dannenhauer, along with his son Kurt Stauss set up their car building firm. Dannenhauer had had experience with the early Volkswagen prototypes before the War, he had worked for Reuters, who had built the bodies for the 1937 VW38 prototypes. While Dannenhauer and Stauss were keen to build their VW based sports car they'd decided to let another team design the bodywork for their car. Herren Wagner and Oswald were given the task. These two had studied in Stuttgart under Dr Professor Kamm, who before the war had been a pioneer of streamlining and was among the first people to use wind tunnelling to achieve areodynamics. Wagner and Oswald had already built a streamline Volkswagen based car, only one of these was built but as can be seen this was a definitive forerunner of the car they designed for Dannenhauer and Stauss.

D & S built what is too many the most Porsche like Beetle based sports car to have been produced in 1950s, but unlike the 356 body construction; the Dannenhauer and Strauss was still built on a Beetle floorpan and chassis.

classic lines of the D & S cabriolet copyright by VW-Veteranenclub Mnster e.V. http://home.t-online.de/home/vw-veteranenclub.muenster

As is so often the case, getting hold of the chassis proved to be a real headache, with D & S sourcing chassis from any local dealer who could supply them, and even searching further afield to Switzerland and even Sweden. But by 1955 Volkswagen in Wolfsburg finally agreed to supply them with rolling chassis.

rear view of an early model

The body for the prototypes, and the eventual production cars were largely hand-built, the metal steel sections being hand formed over wooden "moulds". Only the doors, engine lid and front bonnet where press steel components. The doors featured hidden hinges, placed at the rear (so-called suicide doors); early cars featured VW door handles, while later cars featured Porsche handles. Exterior trim was kept to a minimum-perhaps because the designers were such streamlining enthusiasts

The first cars had a spit front window, as seen on the Drews cabriolet and many other sports cars of the time. By 1953 many changes had been made, both the nose and tail ends had been made longer and a one-piece windscreen had been added. Early grooved bumpers also gave way to clean blade type bumpers. A Porsche type grill was also added to the rear deck lid, while Porsche also supplied the chrome-plated numberplate light, which was also the cars only brake light.

Inside, the car sat much lower than the Beetle it was based upon, this meant that the low seats were Dannenhauer and Stauss custom items; sitting on narrower runners. Real leather seat trimming was available as an added extra. The rear seat was a rather spartan affair, being just a padded wooden board. There was still a luggage space behind the rear seats. The folding hood was of a quality found on the Karmann Beetle Cabriolet, being well insulated with horse hair and covered on the inside with a full headlining. The small wooden-framed glass rear window was later replaced by a sown in plastic window.

The dash often echoed the Volkswagen it was based on. Early cars featured the vintage Volkswagen twin open glove box with two centre instrument panels, one installed with the speedometer, the second with a radio. By 1953, following Volkswagens lead; the dash was updated with a central chrome Grill, closeable glove box and a new speedometer.

Headlights were pure Volkswagen; rear headlights were made by Hella and can also be seen on some Porsche 356s. Although semaphore indicators were fitted to early cars flashing indicators were installed on all production models from the beginning.

All in all the Dannenhauer and Stauss was a very sporty looking, sleek sports car. However the production car retained the Beetle engine and while the cars' streamlining gave it the edge over the Beetle; it was no powerhouse. Early cars featured the vintage Volkswagen 25 hp engine, later updated to 30 hp. 32 mm Solex carburetors were also fitted to the standard Volkswagen engine raising this to 34 hp. Many owners obviously wanted a bit more performance from their sports car, modifying the engines with superchargers and a popular early twin carburettor system from the firm of Okrasa (info halfway on page http://patina.skyblogs.be/archive-month/2007-03). The engine bays on Dannenhauer & Stauss cars was wide and spacious making these modifications relatively easy.

Interestingly enough, somewhere in the region of three hardtop coupe versions were built. The first of these coupes was probably made in 1953, and possibly featuring the rather mundane 34 hp engine. The final Coupe, built in 1954 was ordered by a rich tobacco dealer, who stipulated that Porsche engines and breaks be fitted, which gave his sleek D & S coupe the Porsche performance it deserved.

As is often the case at these times, with these small firms, production figures remain a matter of guesswork, with estimates varying from 80 to 135 cars being built, 16 of which are known to have survived today. Production began in 1951 and continued until 1957, it was the cost of building these hand-built cars, and stiff competition from the Karmann Ghia Coupe, introduced in 1954 that eventually ended the production life of the Dannenhauer and Stauss. In 1951 the car would have cost you DM 4,250 (you would have had to add the cost of the engine and beetle chassis to this figure), the last example built cost DM 8,742 by the time all the extras were added. Compare this to the deluxe export version of the Beetle which cost DM4,600 and the Karmann Ghia Cabriolet version which was introduced in 1957 and cost DM8250. The firm of Dannenhauer & Stauss is to the existence today, but sadly no longer producing such curvaceous VW based sports cars.

Source: Wheelspin

As for Dannenhauer and Stauss is is maybe a good time to introduce the history of Rometsch.

Early model Banana coupe

The Karosserie of Rometsch had been set up in Berlin in the 1920s and was soon concentrating on producing quality taxi conversions built on current models from the likes of Opel. Inevitably war brought less glamourous work as the firm was switched to produce mobile field kitchens. When the war ended the firm luckily found itself in the western part of Berlin, and it wasn't long before the firm began to look to build civilian cars again, and the Volkswagen was the inevitable basis for their post war work.

Rometsch 4 Door taxi at Wolfsburg

Many may have heard of the distinctive Rometsch sports coupes and cabriolets, but they are also well known for a four door Beetle taxi, announced in 1951, and designed by Rometsch's designer Johannes Beeskow, who much later went on to join Karmann, in the 1960s.

The Beetle Taxi involved a complete strip down of a Beetle saloon, the car was then cut in half behind the front doors, and 7" (inches) of extra metal meticulously smoothed into the Beetles lines. Strengthening pillars were added between the front and rear doors, the whole conversion costing about DM2000 in the early fifties.

The model was a success, and a few survive today (see picture from Wolfsburg), but it is definitely for their sports models that Rometsch are regarded.

Again, penned by Johannes Beeskow, the prototype Rometsch 'Banana' was given the go ahead and exhibited at the 1950 Berlin Motor Show, by Friedrich Rometsch. The initial showing was a success and it was decided to press ahead with production.

The Rometsch is designed uniquely from the ground up with body symmetry all its own, and its low front and rear gave it its affectionate nickname of the Rometsch Banana. The Volkswagen chassis proved to be an ideal starting point and production soon began in 1950. Constructed entirely by hand, the Coupe's steel frame uses wood pillars and support beams, while its smooth outer skin is comprised of lightweight aluminium.

Pre 1957 Rometsch newly restored

Although many components, in addition to the pan were borrowed from Volkswagen (such as Karmann Ghia headlights, Beetle sun visors, Ghia ashtray and mirror), parts bins of other European badges were sampled from as well, including Fiat ('59 1100 D tail-lights), Ferrari (375 Mille Milga front turn signals) and the lesser known Borgward (for its chrome '59 Isabella door handles).

Many of the other parts used to originally build the car, including miscellaneous hardware was simply purchased off the shelf of a leading German automotive parts retailer.

1959 Rometsch restored in the USA

Rometsch began production of both cabriolet and coupe versions of the 'Beeskow banana' and the quality of the car proved a seller. Indeed, the design won several awards including the Golden Rose of Geneva in 1954, 55 and 56. Inside the car sported its won trim but retained the Beetle dashboard. In the mid 1950s, the dashboard was updated and the early spit front windscreen changes for a once piece screen.

On all models the front seats could be tilted forward to reveal a single rear seat running along the width of the car, behind this was more storage space. The two doors ran all the way to the bottom of the car and open 'suicide' fashion (hinged at the rear). Running gear was entirely Volkswagen, but many tunned the standard VW engine and in the later 1950s Rometsch offered the option of the uprated Okrasa VW based engine with twin carbs.

In 1957 it was decided to update the model and the task was passed on to Berliner Bert Lawrence. This later Rometsch features a more curved windscreen, single rear light housing and a vent grill of the engine lid taken from the Porsche 356. The doors now hinged at the front, and the trim styling no longer ran straight the length of the car, but curved down to a point then dramatically over the rear wheels. These late models came with Okrasa tunned engines as standard.

1959 Rometsch - one of the last of the breed

Many feel that this later redesign spoiled the original Beeskow design with its American style cues. Sales didn't increase, but the design still won the Golden Rose of Geneva in 1957. But what killed off the Rometsch was certainly not the quality of its cars but something entirely out of their hands. In 1961, the Soviet controlled East Germany erected the Berlin wall, thus splitting the city in half. The majority of Rometsch's skilled workforce lived in the Eastern sector. Now they would certainly not be able to work in the west, and in 1962 the firm ceased trading as a coachbuilding concern.

Today several examples survive and have been lovingly restored in Europe and the USA, the dream of Friedrich Rometsch and his incredible car will continue.

Source: Wheelspin

As our DVF member Steve has been taken in the back in his Ultima by a big coloured ... never mind, it is maybe not such a bad idea to bring the tale of the last Beetle production coming out of Mexico - The Ultima.

With the start of production of the Última Ediciónî, Volkswagen de México in Puebla marked the last phase of production of the legendary Beetle. The last Beetle will have left the factory on 30 July. Of course its 21st century namesake, the New Beetle and the New Beetle convertible continue to be built at the same factory and sold in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world.

In the presence of Melquiades Morales Flores, Governor of Puebla, Rocío Ruiz, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, and other representatives drawn from public life, Dr Jens Neumann, Member of the Management Board of Volkswagen AG and head of the Region North America, and Reinhard Jung, Chairman of the Volkswagen de México management board, gave the signal to start production of the ñÚltima Ediciónî.

Neumann emphasised that, with the ñÚltima Ediciónî, the Beetle would be showing itself at its best and added: ñTrue stars, and their fans, know when itÍs time to quit.î He went on to say that for many years, Volkswagen in Mexico, had been about more than just the Beetle. Since it was founded in 1964, VW de México had almost always been market leader in the passenger vehicle segment. Currently the Group is at the top of the table with a market share of some 28 percent across the three brands Volkswagen, Seat and Audi.

Jung reminded those present that in March 1954, the first imported Beetle reached the shores of Mexico, prior to the start of production in an assembly plant near Mexico City in 1955. In total, he said, 1.7 million Beetles had been built in Mexico, of these, 100,000 vehicles had been for the export markets. Additional best sellers, such as the Golf, Jetta, New Beetle and New Beetle Cabrio, had contributed to a production total of 5.7 million vehicles, of which 2.6 million had been exported. He added that Volkswagen de México, with some 14,000 employees, was a major factor in the economic development of the country.

A total of 3,000 ñÚltima Ediciónî Beetles will be built, and will be available in the colours Aquarius Blue and Harvest Moon Beige. The Beetle has a 1.6-litre petrol engine and a power output of 34ækW. In addition to standard equipment, the special model has chrome trim strips, and chrome parts such as bumpers, hub caps and mirrors. The model is enhanced with colour-coded rims and whitewall tyres, a rear shelf, and a radio with a CD player and four speakers.

Volkswagen AG & Volkswagen of America

Lovely story, it goes like this:

This camper is one of the first campers on Prasonisi, a small uninhabited island in the South of Rhodos. It was owned by a fanatic windsurfer which came on the island in 1993 and enchanted with the place, decided to come back year after year. He left the car on the beach as a place to live as the new discovered windsurfing spots was completely wild. More and more windsurfers started to come with their campers and tents. The LT was a unique guidepost but sun, salt and the sea made it fading away. In September 2006, Polish surfers came with the idea of starting this LT again. 5 days later, after 13 years, the 2.0L fuel engine started again (VW!!) and they drove for a ride on the beach.