About tough to crack puzzle # 59

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Not too many people knew what to make of the mystery roadster that we presented to you last week. As we said, the biggest clue was in the wheels, and one person who took that hint was Alan Spencer. He wrote: “The bolt-on wire wheels look to be from a pre-war (about 1938/’39) 2-seater DKW Meisterklasse Luxus.” Spot on, Alan! And he continues: “Most likely an F8 on account of its long wheelbase. The F8 had a 2-stroke, inline 2-cylinder 684cc engine, which would have given decent performance in a lighter body.” Well done, right so once again. But then mister Spencer overplays: “The car is registered in Austria, but I'm guessing the bodywork was by Swiss coachbuilder, Holka, who had worked with DKW F8 chassis in the 1940s.” But that’s one step too far - literally. The car is indeed Austria registered and was raced by Hubert Brandt - an Austrian DKW fanatic who built the aluminium bodied car himself. Brandt started racing and rallying DKW’s production models after the War and the cars brought him anywhere in Europe throughout the 50s. He is seen here twice more in his Special closer to home, in Innsbruck (rear view) and Liefering (front view) during races held there in the 1952 season. Congratulation to Alan!

 

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