Solved: Wendax 463 - Ultramobile Gazelle

Wendax · January 21, 2012, 01:49:56 AM

From the early days of motoring.

For one point, please respond and identify this car.

Wendax · January 28, 2012, 01:19:46 AM

up

Tackitt · January 28, 2012, 06:36:08 AM

American?

Wendax · January 28, 2012, 06:54:14 AM

No

Wendax · February 04, 2012, 02:07:14 AM

up again

Allan L · February 04, 2012, 04:59:17 AM

Well the springing arrangement and general layout is that of the curved-dash Oldsmobile which was made under licence by the Polyphon Musikwerke in Germany. Initially I understand they called their car Gazelle and later Polymobil so my guess is 1904/5 Gazelle.

Wendax · February 04, 2012, 05:51:42 AM

Well observed, Allan. You are very close to the solution, in so far as everything you say is right except that this car was not made by Polyphon. There was another company doing the same thing. Locked for you to find that company.

Allan L · February 04, 2012, 06:53:41 AM

Well the other one was the Ultramobil - sold in the name of Deutsche Ultramobil GmbH of Berlin, according to Hans-Otto Neubauer, writing in Georgano, from 1904-6 it was made by the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach but there is no mention of it in Reiche & Stück "Meilensteine aus Eisenach" so I can't be sure. Later the Ultramobil was made by W.A. Boese of Berlin.

Wendax · February 04, 2012, 07:27:05 AM

Well done, the puzzle car is an Ultramobile Gazelle. One well-deserved point for you.

Hard to tell what is right about this car as the historians tell different facts. It starts with the name: the company itself was called "Deutsche Ultramobilgesellschaft", but the car was called Ultramobile (cf. the attached photos). Some sources call the car Ultramobil though (with lacking final e).

Who built it? Fersen doesn't mention anyone. Kubisch says that all were built by Boese, as do Gränz and Kirchberg. Neubauer (as you mentioned) claims Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach up to 1906 and Boese afterwards. Ihling finally writes that most of them were built by Boese, but from 1904 to 1906 they were also built by Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach which also built it as the "Cosmobile".

From 1906 on there was a front-engined Ultramobile following roughly the same lines. This must be the white car in the picture below. In 1908 a conventional 12 PS type appeared as a replacement. In 1909 the company was closed.

Wendax · February 04, 2012, 07:31:58 AM

Another view of the puzzle car:

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Solved: Wendax 463 - Ultramobile Gazelle