Solved: Wendax 019 - Benno Kleinau FWD four seater with Porsche engine

Wendax · February 08, 2011, 07:58:17 AM

Looks familiar?

For one point, please identify the car, its engine, its builder and its date of creation.

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 02:30:08 AM

A familiar car for the experts?

Carnut · February 15, 2011, 04:20:46 AM

Yes - it's a Beutler-bodied Porsche 356A 4-seater from 1956.

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 04:23:31 AM

Sorry, it's not. It is from 1956 and it has a Porsche 356 engine, but it is not by Beutler.

Carnut · February 15, 2011, 05:01:52 AM

Quote from: Wendax on February 15, 2011, 04:23:31 AM
Sorry, it's not. It is from 1956 and it has a Porsche 356 engine, but it is not by Beutler.

OK, I got exactly your picture from a website which described the car as I said, but of course we all know just how much mis-information there is out there...

So is it by Rometsch?

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 05:35:50 AM

No, it is not by Rometsch.

The picture can be found at several places in the web, but I don't know whether the builder is correctly mentioned. I've got the information from a 1956 magazine

Carnut · February 15, 2011, 05:38:43 AM

Quote from: Wendax on February 15, 2011, 05:35:50 AM
No, it is not by Rometsch.

The picture can be found at several places in the web, but I don't know whether the builder is correctly mentioned. I've got the information from a 1956 magazine

Is it by an established coachbuilder or a home-built? Looks a bit too good to be a home-built...

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 05:42:20 AM

Believe it or not, it is home-built.

barrett · February 15, 2011, 05:46:33 AM

All I have for this one is "Four seat Porsche 356, built in 1956" but no mention of who built it...

Carnut · February 15, 2011, 07:10:54 AM

Quote from: barrett on February 15, 2011, 05:46:33 AM
All I have for this one is "Four seat Porsche 356, built in 1956" but no mention of who built it...

Me too now, although I did find it before with the info it was by Beutler..
I have it on a Finnish website for one-off VWs - was it built in Finland then?

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 07:12:44 AM

Ei

(which means "no" in Finnish)

Carnut · February 15, 2011, 08:51:53 AM

Quote from: Wendax on February 15, 2011, 07:12:44 AM
Ei

(which means "no" in Finnish)

Yes. I also know a few Finnish words, having travelled there extensively many times since my first visit in 1965.. Not an easy language!

So is it a German Eigenbau?

Wendax · February 15, 2011, 09:07:10 AM

Yes, it is a high-level German Eigenbau.

Wendax · February 22, 2011, 02:20:58 AM

Does a pro know the truth about this one?

Paul Jaray · February 22, 2011, 07:09:19 AM

The car was build by a man named Kleinau from Kaiserslautern (Germany) in 1957.
The Chassis was a front-wheel-drive Tempo Matador with a 1,3 Ltr Porsche engine in front of the front axle and the gearbox behind.

Allemano · February 22, 2011, 07:12:35 AM

Quote from: Paul Jaray on February 22, 2011, 07:09:19 AM
The car was build by a man named Kleinau from Kaiserslautern (Germany) in 1957.
The Chassis was a front-wheel-drive Tempo Matador with a 1,3 Ltr Porsche engine in front of the front axle and the gearbox behind.

Isn't that this one?

Paul Jaray · February 22, 2011, 07:14:39 AM

...but I suspect this one too:

Allemano · February 22, 2011, 07:17:40 AM

Wow! Great picture!

Wendax · February 22, 2011, 07:42:52 AM

Yes, another masterpiece of Benno Kleinau. BTW, the hedge in the background is identical

In the "auto motor und sport" magazine 23/1956 he wrote to the editor:
"...kann ich Sie heute mit meinem Eigenbau bekannt machen. Das Fahrgestell habe ich mir unter Hinzunahme vorhandener Konstruktionseinheiten gebaut, wobei ich einen Porsche-1,3-Liter-Motor und -Getriebe als Frontantrieb verwandte. Der Motor sitzt vorn und das Getriebe, in Fahrtrichtung gesehen, hinter dem Motor. Die Sportkarosserie mit Schiebedach ist viersitzig, Gesamtlänge 4500 mm, Höhe 1390 mm. Ich glaube, dass mein Wagen in seinem Aussehen ohne weiteres mit den Erzeugnissen der bekannten Karosseriefirmen konkurrieren kann und einer Veröffentlichung in AUTO, MOTOR und SPORT würdig ist. Der Wagen ist rot und beige lackiert.

Benno Kleinau, Reparatur-Werkstätte, Kaiserslautern"

and attached the picture.
(I might present my self-built car. I built the chassis using existing units and used a 1.3-litre Porsche engine and gearbox as a FWD unit. The engine is in front, followed by the gearbox. The sports car body with sliding roof has four seats, a length of 4500 mm and a heigth of 1390 mm. I believe that my car can compete regarding the looks with the products of well-known coachbuilders and is worthy being published in "auto, motor und sport". The car is painted red and beige.)

Wendax · August 02, 2011, 05:20:07 AM

And the same car on a picture from the Karosseriebaufachschule Kaiserslautern archives:

Allemano · August 02, 2011, 05:33:31 AM

It appears to be the same car, but is trimmed a little bit different:

BTW: Sesame of that archive does not open with every tool I figured out.

Wendax · August 02, 2011, 05:42:47 AM

I also think that it is the same car. The newer licence plate may be a hint that there were alterations on the car over the years. BTW, the hood ornament on the newer picture appears to be the same as the one on the car #7 in http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=17506.0 , which also comes from Kaiserslautern.

D-type · August 02, 2011, 08:25:05 AM

Are the number plates a red herring? I'm not familiar with German number plates so have no idea as to which is the newer. However, the plates appear to be held on with rubber bands. It only takes five minutes to screw a number plate on which suggests these are some sort of temporary plates or trade plates?

Allemano · August 02, 2011, 08:38:00 AM

Reply#20 shows the German nationwide numberplate which was valid after 1956. KL stands for Kaiserslautern that's where the coachbuilder was located.
Reply#19 shows the plate before 1956 probably for the same area (hard to see here).

Wendax · August 02, 2011, 08:46:02 AM

The other plate reads FR 06-0069 to me. FR stood for Französische Zone Rheinland-Pfalz.

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Solved: Wendax 019 - Benno Kleinau FWD four seater with Porsche engine