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Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:26 pm

Shortly after the war Dannenhauer, along with his son Kurt Stauss set up their car building firm. Dannenhauer had had experience with the early Volkswagen prototypes before the War, he had worked for Reuters, who had built the bodies for the 1937 VW38 prototypes. While Dannenhauer and Strauss were keen to build their VW based sports car they’d decided to let another team design the bodywork for their car. Herren Wagner and Oswald were given the task. These two had studied in Stuttgart under Dr Professor Dr Kamm, who before the war had been a pioneer of streamlining and was among the first people to use wind tunnelling to achieve areodynamics. Wagner and Oswald had already built a streamline Volkswagen based car, only one of these was built but as can be seen this was a definitive forerunner of the car they designed for Dannenhauer and Stauss.

D & S built what is too many the most Porsche like Beetle based sports car to have been produced in 1950s, but unlike the 356 body construction; the Dannenhauer and Strauss was still built on a Beetle floorpan and chassis.

The body for the prototypes, and the eventual production cars were largely hand-built, the metal steel sections being hand formed over wooden “moulds”. Only the doors, engine lid and front bonnet where press steel components. The doors featured hidden hinges, placed at the rear (so-called suicide doors); early cars featured VW door handles, while later cars featured Porsche handles. Exterior trim was kept to a minimum-perhaps because the designers were such streamlining enthusiasts

The first cars had a split front windscreens, as seen on the Drews cabriolet and many other sports cars of the time. By 1953 many changes had been made, both the nose and tail ends had been made longer and a one-piece windscreen had been added. Early grooved bumpers also gave way to clean blade type bumpers. A Porsche type grill was also added to the rear deck lid, while Porsche also supplied the chrome-plated numberplate light, which was also the cars only brake light.

Inside, the car sat much lower than the Beetle it was based upon, this meant that the low seats were Dannenhauer and Stauss custom items; sitting on narrower runners. Real leather seat trimming was available as an added extra. The rear seat was a rather spartan affair, being just a padded wooden board. There was still a luggage space behind the rear seats. The folding hood was of a quality found on the Karmann Beetle Cabriolet, being well insulated with horse hair and covered on the inside with a full headlining. The small wooden-framed glass rear window was later replaced by a sown in plastic window.

The dash often echoed the Volkswagen it was based on. Early cars featured the vintage Volkswagen twin open glove box with two centre instrument panels, one installed with the speedometer, the second with a radio. By 1953, following Volkswagens lead; the dash was updated with a central chrome Grill, closeable glove box and a new speedometer.

Headlights were pure Volkswagen; rear headlights were made by Hella and can also be seen on some Porsche 356s. Although semaphore indicators were fitted to early cars flashing indicators were installed on all production models from the beginning.

All in all the Dannenhauer and Strauss was a very sporty looking, sleek sports car. However the production car retained the Beetle engine and while the cars’ streamlining gave it the edge over the Beetle; it was no powerhouse. Early cars featured the vintage Volkswagen 25 hp engine, later updated to 30 hp. 32 mm Solex carburetors were also fitted to the standard Volkswagen engine raising this to 34 hp. Many owners obviously wanted a bit more performance from their sports car, modifying the engines with superchargers and a popular early twin carburettor system from the firm of Okrasa. The engine bays on Dannenhauer & Stauss cars was wide and spacious making these modifications relatively easy.

Interestingly enough, somewhere in the region of three hardtop coupe versions were built. The first of these coupes was probably made in 1953, and possibly featuring the rather mundane 34 hp engine. The final Coupe, built in 1954 was ordered by a rich tobacco dealer, who stipulated that Porsche engines and breaks be fitted, which gave his sleek D & S coupe the Porsche performance it deserved.

As is often the case at these times, with these small firms, production figures remain a matter of guesswork, with estimates varying from 80 to 135 cars being built, 18 of which are known to have survived today. Production began in 1951 and continued until 1957, it was the cost of building these hand-built cars, and stiff competition from the Karmann Ghia Coupe, introduced in 1954 that eventually ended the production life of the Dannenhauer and Stauss. In 1951 the car would have cost you DM 4,250 (you would have had to add the cost of the engine and beetle chassis to this figure), the last example built cost DM 8,742 by the time all the extras were added. Compare this to the deluxe export version of the Beetle which cost DM4,600 and the Karmann Ghia Cabriolet version which was introduced in 1957 and cost DM8250. The firm of Dannenhauer & Stauss is to the existence today, but sadly no longer producing such curvaceous VW based sports cars.

All in all the Dannenhauer and Strauss was a very sporty looking, sleek sports car. However the production car retained the Beetle engine and while the cars’ streamlining gave it the edge over the Beetle; it was no powerhouse. Early cars featured the vintage Volkswagen 25 hp engine, later updated to 30 hp. 32 mm Solex carburetors were also fitted to the standard Volkswagen engine raising this to 34 hp. Many owners obviously wanted a bit more performance from their sports car, modifying the engines with superchargers and a popular early twin carburettor system from the firm of Okrasa. The engine bays on Dannenhauer & Stauss cars was wide and spacious making these modifications relatively easy.

Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:31 pm

Here is an overview of all known 18 D&S.

Patrick

Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:16 pm

Is this one on the list?
Last I heard, the VW factory was going to restore this one.

Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:22 pm

Ouch-kabiddle ! Das auto ist Kaputt!

Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:34 am

That car is already repaired. It is now in light blue

Here are pictures of the car I made yesterday at the Bremen motor show.

Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:42 am

Did it have trim down the center when it was black or is that a painted stripe with an accessory knuckle guard?

Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:49 am

i wonder if this is in the list.. and which one from the ones pictured.

and this one?

and another..

Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:27 am

Some before pics looked like they're more prone to rot than other cars of the same years.

Thinner guage or bad finish adhesion?

Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:34 am

What about the one Dick Christensen (sp?) owns in Arizona?

Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:40 am

[quote="eurodub"]i wonder if this is in the list.. and which one from the ones pictured.

and this one?

and another..

I think that one belongs to the Grundmann's collection. I am pretty sure. The rest is not known by me. I Think the red one was last seen at BBT's ready for shippment to the US. Not sure on that one.
Greets.

Mon Feb 07, 2011 11:44 am

[quote="peter schepens"] eurodub wrote: i wonder if this is in the list.. and which one from the ones pictured.

and this one?

and another..

I think that one belongs to the Grundmann's collection. I am pretty sure. The rest is not known by me. I Think the red one was last seen at BBT's ready for shippment to the US. Not sure on that one.
Greets.
The last one on the list :lol:
the same guy welded it like the 38. Maybe in the lunchtime....
Marcus

Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:26 pm

The one with the "unik53" license plates I'm almost sure the former president of the Swedish VWHK (historical club) owns (or may be his wife), and it is seen on Swedish meetings sometimes, but I think they have some other unique cars, I think a heb, split cabrio and several others so I guess they have a hard time to use all of them.

Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:51 pm

The Green one is now burgundy and completely restored. The car was also shown in Bremen last weekend.

In this pictures you can see the restoration. On the op left you can see it was the green car:

Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:57 pm

MR COSMIC wrote: What about the one Dick Christensen (sp?) owns in Arizona?

Third row on the left

Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:03 pm

Judging by the head sized hole in the passenger side window I'd say someone is kaput too... :cry:

Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:57 pm

pbaptist wrote: The Green one is now burgundy and completely restored. The car was also shown in Bremen last weekend.

In this pictures you can see the restoration. On the op left you can see it was the green car:

the Burgundy Red D&S belongs to a member of the German Split Window Club and was welded in Hessisch Oldendorf, painted by Rolf and polstered by Marcus and his Boss. Also an old project by some guys of the VW38- / Hamburg Syndicat. ;-)

Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:15 pm

pbaptist wrote: MR COSMIC wrote: What about the one Dick Christensen (sp?) owns in Arizona?

Third row on the left

That's what I thought but I wasn't sure. It looks even better in person :)

Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:18 pm

well, all the pics i found today in that lost and found website were actually just the beginning of a beautiful friendship.. err restoration :D

Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:03 pm

eurodub wrote: i wonder if this is in the list.. and which one from the ones pictured.

I don't know with car this is.
Bjorn: can you shed some light about the current condition of the car

regards
Patrick

Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:04 pm

pbaptist wrote: eurodub wrote: i wonder if this is in the list.. and which one from the ones pictured.

I don't know with car this is.
Bjorn: can you shed some light about the current condition of the car

regards
Patrick

This is the ex-Peter Fried car...