Solved: Wendax 777 - Slaby-Beringer with DKW engine

[Wendax]

A minimal roadster.

For one point, please respond and identify this car.

[Wendax]

up

[targhediferro]

American?

[Wendax]

No

[Craig Gillingham]

Is it French?

[Wendax]

No

[4popoid]

Apparent lack of radiator, and/or louvers, lead me to think that this might be an electric powered cyclecar.  However the disk wheels, and crude, heavy looking, wooden body,  do not fit the usual stereotype of a lightweight cyclecar.  Therefore I'm wondering if this might be some sort of transition model that occurred just before, or during the 1924-27 transition, resulting from the bankruptcy of the Slaby-Beringer company (a manufacturer of electric cars), and its absorption by DKW (a manufacturer of motorcycles).  I'm assuming that it would still be called a S.B., because the first DKW (1928) was gasoline powered.

[Wendax]

That is some fine sleuthing! It is a Slaby-Beringer, the time is about right and there is a DKW connection. Locked for you to put the pieces together.

[4popoid]

Thanks for the lock.  I'm not sure how this will come out, because much of my information is conflicting, but I will give it a shot. 

Slaby-Beringer was largely controlled by J. S. Rasmussen, who also controlled DKW.  In 1923 DKW only made motor cycles, and, when economic conditions caused financial problems for both Slaby-Beringer and DKW, Rasmussen got Slaby-Beringer to design a small gasoline powered car using a DKW air cooled motorcycle engine.  This would account for the apparent lack of radiator in the puzzle car, although there must be some sort of grille for the flow of cooling air, unless the engine were front mounted (like a Morgan), but I rather doubt this, as I think something would be visible in the picture.  Some references seem to indicate that the car might have even been a crude hybrid. with the electric drive left in place, and the gasoline drive coupled to it.  In any case the car did not save Slaby-Beringer, as they were forced into bankruptcy in mid-1924, and were folded into Rasmussen's DKW.  The little DKW powered Slaby-Beringer went on to become the basis of the DKW P15 of 1928/29, which morphed into the water cooled DKW PS600 of 1929/31.     

Whatever the details, I'm guessing that the puzzle car is the little DKW powered Slaby-Beringer of 1923, perhaps even the prototype, given the apparent crudeness of the upholstery.

[Wendax]

Well done! It is the DKW-engined Slaby-Beringer from 1923. According to my information, there was no electric hybrid part there. The DKW engine was mounted at the rear of the car between the wheels.

One more point for you.

[Wendax]

Some more:

[Wendax]

A survivor with slightly larger body: