Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023
Photo – Dorotheum
The auction catalog compares Peugeot’s 402 to Chrysler’s Airflow, which debuted a year prior than the 402. It had a streamlined design, with the headlights set in the center of the car behind the grille. The basic 402 was a sedan, but more exotic versions, like the Darl’mat were also available.
For 1937, the engine was a 2.0-liter inline-four that was rated at 55 horsepower. The engine would be increased in size the following year, with a power bump alongside. This particular car is one of just 835 delivered with a Cotal pre-selector gearbox.
It was hidden in Algeria during WWII and retrieved by its German owner after the war was over. The car has received a freshened interior and an engine rebuild in the last 15 years. There were 75,000 of these built, but they are not common today. This one has an estimate of $25,000-$32,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023
Photo – Dorotheum
BMW’s 327 was produced between 1937 and 1941 (with a brief return in 1945). It was sort of slotted in the middle of the lineup and could be had in coupe or cabriolet form. The car was sold on the other side of the iron curtain as the EMW 327 through 1955.
Power is provided by a 2.0-liter inline-six that was rated at about 54 horsepower. The car was apparently capable of 78 mph. There was a more high-performance version called the 327/28 also available.
Strangely, convertibles were more popular, with over 1,100 produced. However, only 179 of the coupe version found homes in pre-war Germany. This example was sold new in Berlin and later made its way to Switzerland, where it was restored in the 1980s and 1990s. It now has an estimate of $120,000-$170,000. More info can be found here.
Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 21, 2023
Photo – Dorotheum
This has to be the nicest Trabant in the world. It looks to be in far better condition than they ever were when new. The body is made of a type of industrial plastic reinforced with fabric waste. The chassis is steel, though. When new, they all had dull colors. This one looks pretty chipper in red and white.
The 600 (or P60) model was offered between 1962 and 1964. It was the second Trabant model that carried over its predecessors (better) looks and previewed the third gen’s mechanicals, the latter of which were a 595cc two-stroke twin and a four-speed manual transmission. Output was 22 horsepower. It could do about 60 mph.
This obviously restored example has a snazzy sunroof and wing mirror. Over 100,000 of these were built, and this one has an estimate of $8,400-$13,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 1, 2023
Photo – Dorotheum
The Schnellaster was the first Auto Union vehicle produced in West Germany after the war. It was built in Ingolstadt, Germany, now known as the HQ location for Audi, which Auto Union became later on down the line. We’ve actually featured a Schnellaster pickup before.
But a panel van and a microbus (passenger van) were also offered. The van features front-wheel drive and a two-stroke vertical twin (or triple) engine. This one has the 900cc inline-three from the DKW 3=6. Output was 32 horsepower, and top speed was about 60 mph.
This van has been used by commercial business for most of its existence, or at least until it was restored in the 2000s. Now it has an estimate of $33,000-$39,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 1, 2023
Photo – Dorotheum
The BMW 303 was an early model by the manufacturer, sold between 1933 and 1934. It was a six-cylinder sedan and was joined by a whole range of models with similar running gear.
The 319 was one such model, available in 1935 and 1936 with a 1.9-liter version of the 303’s inline-six. In early 1937, the 329 replaced the 319 and used the same 45-horsepower six. The big difference was that the 329 used the front end from the BMW 326 (which looked like the 328).
The 329 was only available as a two- or four-seat cabriolet and only for one year, with this car being bodied by Reutter. This two-seater is one of 42 produced. It now has an estimate of $87,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 15, 2022
Photo – Dorotheum
Hard to believe a Steyr 220 has not come across this site yet. There have been a few that have popped up over the years, which can only mean that this site was asleep at the wheel. That or confident another would pop up soon. And here we are.
Steyr, which is mostly known for Steyr-Daimler-Puch products like the Pinzgauer, actually built road cars, including some fancier-looking ones like this. The 220 was the last in a line of 120/125/220 that stretched back to 1935. The 220 would be built from 1937 through 1941. It was the company’s most glamorous product – and their last passenger car.
Power is from a 2.3-liter inline-six that made 55 horsepower. Just 5,900 examples of the 220 were produced. Interestingly, a 220 with the same engine number sold on Bring a Trailer for $36,000 earlier this year. The car here has maroon wheels and fenders in lieu of body-color fenders and tan wheels, but it could be the same car. It has an estimate of $78,000-$110,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 15, 2022
Photo – Dorotheum
So it’s not pronounced “oaf”… it’s actually ÖAF, for Österreichische Automobil-Fabrik. The company was founded in 1907 as the Austrian Fiat truck plant. The trucks were called “Austro-Fiats”, and they started developing their own stuff during WWI. In 1925, Fiat lost control of it, and the name shifted to OAF.
MAN took over OAF (what a sentence) in 1938. After WWII, the company was split off, eventually going private in 1970, merging with Graf & Stift. The following year, MAN acquired them again. The last OAF-branded trucks left the assembly line in 2008.
The AFN express truck debuted in 1924 powered by a 2.9-liter Fiat inline-four that made 42 horsepower. This fire truck dates from 1930 and remained with it’s local Austrian fire department until 2009 (though not in use, I hope). It was then sold into private ownership and restored. The estimate here is $24,000-$34,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Salzburg, Austria | October 15, 2022
Photo – Dorotheum
The “Steyr Baby” was a small car produced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch between 1936 and 1940. It was actually called the Steyr 50 upon its introduction, and it was renamed the 55 when it was updated for 1938. Updates for the Type 55 included a lengthened wheelbase (by like two inches) and a stronger engine.
That engine is a 1.2-liter flat-four that made 25.5 horsepower compared to 22 horsepower of the Type 50. Only 7,800 Type 55s were built, all in two-door sedan style. The diminutive shape and rounded profile has lead to the occasional “Austrian Volkswagen” nickname.
This example was restored at the end of the 1990s and wears a two-tone paint scheme, as they came with from the factory. A rare survivor, it’s likely the best one around. The pre-sale estimate is $37,000-$47,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 2, 2022
1954 Tempo Viking Bus
Photo – Dorotheum
Tempo-Werke (officially Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH) was a Hamburg-based company that got their start in 1924. The company was purchased by Daimler-Benz in 1971, and the marque was phased out after 1977.
The Viking was introduced in 1950 to replace previous three-wheeled light trucks. A pickup and van were offered, with power from a 452cc two-stroke twin making about 20 horsepower. They featured a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. Top speed was about 40 mph.
This passenger van variant has three rows of seats and has been restored to a condition probably better than when it was new. This Viking is estimated at $19,000-$27,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $17,168.
1967 Barkas B 1000 Kasten
Photo – Dorotheum
VEB Barkas-Werke was an East German manufacturer of vans that existed from 1958 until 1991. And they made essentially one product during that time: the B 1000 (they also produced engines for Trabant). In over 30 years, they somehow managed to only make about 176,000 of these.
But they are kind of iconic in that the front-engine, front-wheel drive van is the vehicle of choice for baddies on the “wrong side” of the Berlin Wall. The engine is a 1.0-liter two-stroke inline-three that made about 41 horsepower.
An unlikely full-restoration candidate, this van has had just such a thing. It carries an estimate of $15,000-$23,000. Good luck finding a better one. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $17,168.
1956 Goggomobil TL-300 Transporter
Photo – Dorotheum
About 2,000 Transporter models were built by Goggomobil, or Glas, the company that produced the Goggomobil. These were built at the request of the German postal service, and they very much do like look a mail van.
Different levels were offered. We’ve featured a TL-250 Transporter and a TL-400. This is an early model and is a TL-300, meaning it is powered by a 298cc two-stroke inline-twin. Output was rated at 15 horsepower.
Of the 3,667 Transporters produced, only about 100 are known to exist, a quarter of those thought to be roadworthy. The estimate is $63,000-$84,000. Click here for more.
Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 2, 2022
Photo – Dorotheum
Like so many others, Hanomag’s roots trace back to a mid 19th-century industrial company. Steam engines, farm equipment, and tractors came before cars, which arrived in the 1920s. During WWII, they became a major player constructing vehicles for the German army, including perhaps their most famous vehicle, this half-track.
The 20B was a four-wheel drive personnel carrier produced between 1937 and 1940. In all, about 1,700 were built. Power is from a 2.0-liter inline-four (there were also Stoewer versions of this car as well as a six-cylinder BMW version). Output was just under 50 horsepower. It’s got a five-speed manual transmission with a crawler first gear.
Production ceased in 1940 because they were too heavy and hard to repair. Stoewer kept building a refined Type 40 version until 1943. Almost none of these still exist. This one was intended to be, and was, bodied as a fire truck by Karmann in 1940. It is impressive that it still exists. The pre-sale estimate is $26,000-$37,000. Click here for more info.
