Author Topic: Postwar Spohn  (Read 24380 times)

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Offline Paul Jaray

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Postwar Spohn
« on: May 12, 2010, 09:43:35 AM »
There is much interest about Spohn creations, expecially about postwar creations on American chassis.
I'd like to gather here all the info available about these cars and I know this is the right place.

We already had many of them:
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=9985.0
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=10523.0
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=6723.0
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=4058.0
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=3955.0

...but some are still missing and there are few bits of info on some of them.


Here you are, in alphabetic order, some of the cars I collected, hoping to find more info:

#1 - Nickolas M. Staranick's Buick Sedanette 1947 (source: Motor Trend May 1954)
#2- Cadillac 1949
#3 - Major Ralph W. Angel's Chevrolet 1950 (sources: Motor Trend May 1954 and Popular Mechanichs September 1955)
#4 - Ford  Eight DeLuxe Convertible 1952
#5 - Ford chasiss Cadillac engine 1950s
#6 - Louis W. Strunga's Lincoln 1949 (source: Popular Science June 1953)
#7 - Robert Mooselli's Mercury 1948 (source: Motor Life January 1954)
#8 - James L. Price's Oldsmobile 1950 (source:  Trend Book 105 Restyle Your Car)
#9 - Arthur Cooper's Packard The Comet (source:  Motor Trend November 1953)
#10 - Pontiac Coupe
#11 - Veritas Cabriolet 1949
#12 - Volkswagen Typ 1 1954
#13 - Unknown
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 10:29:11 AM by Paul Jaray »

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2010, 09:54:32 AM »
...
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 02:46:03 PM by Paul Jaray »

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2010, 12:06:18 PM »
Them there are some wacky cars
You wanna be the man, you gotta Name That Car!

Offline Allemano

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2010, 01:08:48 PM »
I love that Packard with those square lights. It looks so myopically. 

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2010, 02:39:25 PM »
I considered #2 and #5 like 2 different cars...but are they different?
Beside the windshield (the #2 is in 2 pieces)  and the wheel covers (probably), only the lower grille seems different, with vertical bars in one case and orizzontal in the other...what do you think?
Are there other pics of these cars?

Offline faksta

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2010, 02:57:24 AM »
Three Maybachs from Spohn - 1949, 1950 and 1951 (or 1957  ???) according to my DB.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2010, 03:07:22 AM by faksta »

Offline 75america

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2010, 03:54:18 AM »
I believe this one is still missing in the overview:  1950's Chrysler

Offline 75america

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2010, 04:00:15 AM »
Spohn Valkyrie on Cadillac 1954 chassis:

But also the Gaylord Gladiator http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1674.0 and some of the other Brooks Stevens creations.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2010, 04:07:47 AM by 75america »

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2010, 04:09:15 AM »
While the designs were credited to (blamed upon?) Brooks Stevens, the 1953 Die Valkyrie and the 1955-56 Gaylords look odd enough to have been 'enhanced' by Spohn, who was enlisted to construct each.










You wanna be the man, you gotta Name That Car!

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2010, 04:10:09 AM »
75america beat me to it!  :D
You wanna be the man, you gotta Name That Car!

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2010, 04:40:15 AM »
Messerschmitt. P511 from 1954

You wanna be the man, you gotta Name That Car!

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #11 on: May 13, 2010, 06:21:12 AM »
Great!
Probably the #2 and #5 are really the same...the lower grille of the red one appears to have orizzontal bars in the 2nd pic...

Offline Allemano

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #12 on: May 13, 2010, 07:04:06 AM »
The Gaylord posted by Otto is the second version which wasn't built by Spohn, but by Zeppelin GmbH.

Offline Ray B.

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2010, 12:55:33 PM »
Them there are some wacky cars

I double checked the meaning of wacky in my dictionary. Even if it's stronger than I believed, wacky is still a feeble word for some of them.  If they were the first thing I'd see on a hangover morning, I'd kill myself.
He Touched Me With His Noodly Appendage

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2010, 01:13:22 PM »
I know some of you can identify a car\model year from the details of the interior...well, this is the inside of the red car...some elements seems to be from the 40's, other from the 50's...your opinion?

Offline StillOutThere

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2010, 01:27:27 PM »
This ad from Spohn for the "Plastik" is interesting.

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2010, 05:46:25 PM »
more:
« Last Edit: June 04, 2010, 05:55:20 PM by Paul Jaray »

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2010, 06:25:23 PM »
and a detail of some b-sides:

Offline mtbo

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2010, 06:44:37 PM »
more



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Spohn Maybach SW 38 / 42 1950



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Spohn Maybach SW 38 / 42 1950



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
MAYBACH Typ SW 38 "Ponton" Cabriolet by Spohn 1948
« Last Edit: June 04, 2010, 07:01:30 PM by mtbo »

Offline 75america

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2010, 01:26:26 AM »
Has someone more information on that Alfa Romeo Spohn?

Offline StillOutThere

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2010, 09:22:44 AM »
Is the Veritas shown in PJ's post the same car with a near horizontal grille added to aid cooling?   All other features of the car appear identical and the photo is even shot at the identical angle as if to aid the comparison.

Offline Paul Jaray

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #21 on: June 20, 2010, 05:49:39 AM »
Is the Veritas shown in PJ's post the same car with a near horizontal grille added to aid cooling? All other features of the car appear identical and the photo is even shot at the identical angle as if to aid the comparison.
They are presented as 2 different cars in the article I found. The 2nd is pale turquoise.
Has someone more information on that Alfa Romeo Spohn?
I will be very happy to have them...

Offline Joćo

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #22 on: June 20, 2010, 10:57:58 PM »
1950 Pontiac Convertible :

Offline K5ING

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #23 on: July 19, 2010, 10:46:46 PM »
Back in the early 80's, I bought a nice '69 Olds Cutlass convertible that was in pretty good shape, but needed a new top.  I went to an auto restoration shop in North Dallas, Texas.  In their shop was a Spohn roadster.  I've never seen a picture of it, but some of the ones in this post come very close.  It was red, and it had a front end similar to the Packard one with the square headlight openings.  It also had cylindrical plexiglass coverings over the headlights.  It had the typical rear end that Spohns had, but it also had cutdown doors.  I don't remember if it was a 2 or 4 seater, but if it was a 4 seater, the rears were very small.  It was very long, and very low.  The owner told me that it had either a Chrysler frame and a Buick engine, or the other way around.  The only way I knew it was a Spohn (I didn't even hear of Spohn at the time) was that it had "Spohn" on the hubcaps. 
« Last Edit: July 19, 2010, 10:49:22 PM by K5ING »

Offline StillOutThere

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Re: Postwar Spohn
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2010, 11:37:49 AM »
I'll keep my eyes open and an ear to the ground for the Spohn custom potentially still here in Texas, I promise you!