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Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2011 => Topic started by: Wendax on May 10, 2011, 06:32:26 AM

Title: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: Wendax on May 10, 2011, 06:32:26 AM
Just a scale model that never made it into production.

For one point, please respond and identify the man and the company behind this project, as well as the proposed base car.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Aaron65 on May 10, 2011, 05:58:06 PM
Stab in the dark--Raymond Loewy and Associates for a Studebaker base.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: DeAutogids on May 10, 2011, 06:35:56 PM
Hans Trippel, I thought, and the design might be a predecessor for what would become the Weidner Condor?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 11, 2011, 02:14:25 AM
Stab in the dark--Raymond Loewy and Associates for a Studebaker base.
No, right decade, wrong continent
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 11, 2011, 02:15:13 AM
Hans Trippel, I thought, and the design might be a predecessor for what would become the Weidner Condor?
No, wrong man, wrong car, right country
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: DeAutogids on May 11, 2011, 04:05:18 AM
It looks a slight bit Porsche-esque maybe?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 11, 2011, 04:19:49 AM
No Porsche involvement
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 11, 2011, 04:22:00 AM
Ford?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 11, 2011, 04:23:39 AM
No
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Otto Puzzell on May 11, 2011, 04:36:15 AM
Stab in the dark--Raymond Loewy and Associates for a Studebaker base.
No, right decade, wrong continent

Loewy and Associates worked with Studebaker, off and on, over 4 decades (1930's through 1960's). Should we assume you were referring to the 1950's as the right decade?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 11, 2011, 04:40:08 AM
Sorry for being not precise. I associated the 1950s with Loewy's Studebakers.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: grobmotorix on May 12, 2011, 02:15:57 PM
GDR?

My inner bells ring "Wartburg"...
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 12, 2011, 02:19:46 PM
I suppose your inner bells need adjustment. It is West German.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 13, 2011, 01:01:59 AM
Coachbuilder or mass producer?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 13, 2011, 02:15:01 AM
Neither
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: DeAutogids on May 13, 2011, 05:38:52 AM
Bavarian?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 13, 2011, 05:44:41 AM
Bavarian?
No
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Otto Puzzell on May 13, 2011, 06:01:12 AM
A Borgward?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 13, 2011, 06:28:37 AM
As said before, no mass producer behind this project
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: DeAutogids on May 13, 2011, 06:33:39 AM
Interesting...

A project by a designer? Like a study?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 13, 2011, 06:39:23 AM
Student's project?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 13, 2011, 07:09:43 AM
No to both.

It was a model that wasn't realized because the company ceased to exist. At least, that is one of the reasons.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 14, 2011, 08:05:12 AM
Was this company before it went bust a microcar producer?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 14, 2011, 02:59:18 PM
Yes
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: guido66 on May 14, 2011, 05:00:27 PM
Messerschmitt?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 14, 2011, 05:06:17 PM
No
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: guido66 on May 14, 2011, 05:08:14 PM
LLoyd?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 14, 2011, 05:17:56 PM
Neither
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: guido66 on May 14, 2011, 05:32:24 PM
Zündapp?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 14, 2011, 05:35:26 PM
Again no
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 02:18:21 AM
Gutbrod?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: guido66 on May 15, 2011, 03:04:35 AM
Heinkel?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: pnegyesi on May 15, 2011, 03:51:03 AM
Kleinschnittger?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 04:00:35 AM
Wendax?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 05:10:01 AM
Neither of the above  ;D
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: pnegyesi on May 15, 2011, 05:19:06 AM
Brütsch?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 05:20:34 AM
Staunau?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 05:22:32 AM
No to both

Still some left  ;)
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: pnegyesi on May 15, 2011, 05:25:35 AM
Hoffman?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 05:26:59 AM
Not Hoffmann either
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 05:29:58 AM
This looks like a four wheeled Pinguin...
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 05:35:24 AM
This looks like a four wheeled Pinguin...
Locked for you until your next reply to follow that track and supply the wanted information
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 05:50:04 AM
The main man after the Pinguin/Passat project was Romanus Müthig (after Kurt Faust left) the company's name was officialy Ruhrfahrzeugbau R. Müthing. There were several other man involved (such as cunstructor Norbert Stevenson of Fuldamobil) as well as companies which were about to take over the Pinguin brand (Rotenburger Metallwerke for instance). Unfortunately none of them finally succeeded.
Are these sufficient infos?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 06:15:49 AM
This model predates the Pinguin and is connected with a man not mentioned so far. He was involved in another microcar project, where this model was a leftover. The base car is still missing.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 06:15:59 AM
I read a little further now...

Rudolf Stierlen of Rotenburger Metallwerke ordered a four-wheeled car at Wickenbrock in Recklinghausen to improve the not successful concept of the Pinguin. Due to much too high production costs he finally abandoned the whole Pinguin project.

Sectretly Stierlen was about to continue the Pinguin project with another name. But "Hobby" and "Bel Ami" couldn't be trademarked. Motorcycle producer Express was only interested in a four-wheeled car which wasn't finished, yet. Kreidler was interested as well, but the asking price for the whole company was too expensive.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 06:22:47 AM
This model was based on a much bigger car. Still not the right man.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 06:25:37 AM
Edited my last post.

Alas I don't know the big based car you're talking about!
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 06:32:20 AM
This model predates the Pinguin and is connected with a man not mentioned so far. He was involved in another microcar project, where this model was a leftover. The base car is still missing.
Look for someone who was involved in another microcar project before the Pinguin.

Open to all again.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 06:35:19 AM
Kurt Faust = Passat?
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 06:43:07 AM
Another source reports that there was initially a four wheeler on a VW chassis constructed by Kurt Volkerath (of Opel RAK fame). Due to high costs they proceeded the three wheeled Pinguin while the fourwheeler project was rejected.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 06:51:09 AM
Kurt Faust = Passat?

Passat yes, Kurt Faust no (I think Faust was not involved with Pinguin)
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 06:51:41 AM
Another source reports that there was initially a four wheeler on a VW chassis constructed by Kurt Volkerath (of Opel RAK fame). Due to high costs they proceeded the three wheeled Pinguin while the fourwheeler project was rejected.
Not this one
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 06:55:38 AM
Then I have to give up I'm afraid.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 07:09:47 AM
 :idea: found something on the internet..

The picture shows a 1:5 wooden model of a virtually 1951 Opel Kapitän based car.
It was Heinz Elschenbroich's own former, but never realized car project.
H. Elschenbroich was main sponsor and shareholder of M.E.V. (Müthing, Eschenbroich & Volkhart) Studiengesellschaft für Fahrzeugentwicklung in Herne.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Wendax on May 15, 2011, 07:42:00 AM
Finally you found it, congratulations. I guess that is the only public source about this project as it wasn't mentioned in any microcar books I know.
Title: Re: Wendax 167
Post by: Allemano on May 15, 2011, 07:49:08 AM
Yes, I read all the Passat/Pinguin articles twice to find something. Frustrated I started a last try and to my amazement Google provided something suitable.

Nice puzzle!  :)
Title: Re: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: Wendax on May 30, 2011, 09:26:33 AM
Two more pictures:
Title: Re: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: Allemano on May 30, 2011, 12:47:08 PM
wasted trunk capacity.
Title: Re: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: Wendax on January 03, 2013, 01:57:58 PM
H. Elschenbroich was main sponsor and shareholder of M.E.V. (Müthing, Eschenbroich & Volkhart) Studiengesellschaft für Fahrzeugentwicklung in Herne.
Not so astonishing similarities to the Volkhart Sagitta proposal: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=8177.0
Title: Re: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: grobmotorix on January 04, 2017, 03:36:30 AM
A side view of this scale model:
Title: Re: Solved: Wendax 167 - Heinz Elschenbroich's project on Opel Kapitän base
Post by: Wendax on June 24, 2020, 12:25:02 PM
Volkhart originally made this model for a VW chassis, so the design is the final stage of his Sagitta: