Sunday, July 17, 2011

1933 Rohr, rare German luxury show car


Rohr was technically far ahead of its time, when it first appeared with a car of its own make, in 1928.  It had independent suspension on all four wheels, was based on a platform frame, instead of the ususal square or i-beam frame. Good engineering, but bad business made the company go under in 1937

The Rohr automobile is extremely rare. Even back in the 1970s, less than a half-dozen of them had been rescued by collectors or museums. Obviously, these, like many fine European cars, were annihilated in the ravages of World War II — lost in bombings, fires or scrapped for the value of their steel.

The manufacturer built this one-of-a-kind classic for a 1933 German automobile show: a radically streamlined fastback four-door pillarless hardtop (22 years before this style was revived in the U.S.). Its sloping grille was different from the production line. It had been preserved by an admiring owner, and was purchased years ago by Edgar E. Rohr


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2 comments:

  1. lincolncadillac11:11 AM

    Must be the first 4 door hardtop ever!!!?

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  2. PedalPaleAleFan8:21 AM

    Thanks for posting these. I remember this car well from Hershey in the late 60s/early 70s. Mr Rohr had it there at least two years in a row, without an engine(!). I guess they pushed it onto the field. I remember crawling under it the second time I saw it to see if he'd gotten the engine back into it, which he hadn't. A very cool car. I seem to remember some elaborate embroidery on the headliner, too, but that may be a faulty memory. The interior was basically red, anyway - of that I'm pretty sure.

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