Which one is the proper NSU type 32?

[allsidius]

Most Beetle books have these two cars shown as the precursors of the beetle, and most claim they are both Porsche Type 32. I find that inplausible. The cars are not the same at all, they show very little common design treats. The blue car is made from steel, it has grilles behind the rear quarterlights, the fenders are much more curvy. The dark one has a much sleeker body, which looks to be made in DKW fasion, from wood with artificial leather as outer finish coating. It has no grilles behind the rear side windows, and the front fenders are much simpler and elegant.

I do not believe that Porsche had two so dissimilar cars made to the same type number specification. Does anyone have any reliable information on this?

This car exists today and is in in the VW museum as a NSU Porsche typ 32

One of the Porsche drawings, obviously depicting a car similar to the dark car in the black and white photo.

This car is only known from this photo, as far as I know. Is it an NSU Type 32, or maybe not? Maybe it is the only one which is a type 32?

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1978 1303 convertible (sold)Click to view image
1966 1300 RIPClick to view image

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[splitjunkie]

You are correct that they are different cars. You are also correct that the 32 has a steel body and that the second is a wood frame with fake leather stretched over it.

I am not near any of my books right now but I want to say that the second car was earlier and was either an earlier NSU prototype or one done for Edit: Zundap before working with NSU. I will check my books later and update this later.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[allsidius]

Thanks Splitjunkie, I have several books on the subject myself and they tend to name both cars type 32, but I think that may be an old mistake. Most importantly, the first car still has the air vents behind the rear side windows, like the Zundapp type 12. In my mind, it looks as this car was designed as an evolution of the type 12. The second car looks out of sequence with respect to that theory.

For reference, here is the Porsche type 12, the Zundapp.

Just for fun, here is the Porsche type 7, the Wanderer prototype of 1930. Only one made on an expensive 6-cylinder chassis, and kept as Ferdinands personal car for years. No attempt on a people's car.

_________________
1973 1303S w sunroof Click to view image
1978 1303 convertible (sold)Click to view image
1966 1300 RIPClick to view image

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Blue Baron]

Just as the VW prototypes differed, with some having wooden frame bodies while others were all steel, so it was for the Typ. 32. Both of these are NSU prototypes, produced to fulfill the same contract. Steel bodies were very expensive to produce, which is why some prototypes used the mixed wood/faux leather system. Remember that a prototype represented a concept. Final production touches came later. Unfortunately cars made with this mixed body system tended to perish over time.

The reason the Type 32 was never produced was because motorcycle maker N.S.U. had a contractual obligation to Fiat not to produce a motorcar, and upon learning of the Typ. 32, Fiat exercised the clause in that contract.

Another interesting fact, as shown in Dan Post's book, is that the steel N.S.U. originally had much larger external headlights, and the small, flush-mounted lights were added after the war.
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We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

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[allsidius]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

I just find it strange that the two cars are so different, that is my main point. They should at least have the air inlets in the same place, or similar fenders etc.

The engineering needed betweeen the two cars is just as much, or more, as going from the Zundapp type 12 to the NSU type 32. I am suspicious that the naugahyde car may be a different beast altogether. Or maybe it is the blue car that is not NSU at all.

Unfortunately, the Wolfsburg VW museum has done so much silly non-preservative things in recent past, that I don't expect them to be the authority on the matter anymore. Remember when the bought license plates for the VW38/03? Instead of the correct plates IIIA 43003, they put the sunroof cornerstone car, long gone, IIIA 42802. From a preservation standpoint, totally unacceptable.
_________________
1973 1303S w sunroof Click to view image
1978 1303 convertible (sold)Click to view image
1966 1300 RIPClick to view image

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[usariemen]

My car once stood beside it at an exibition.
But I did not care much about it.
So I cant tell what it really was/is.

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Master of my domain!

[IIIA-0426]

Actually three completely different bodies were built for the type 32 project, two of which are well known (shown above), one much less well known but photographically documented.

The car that survived had a different head lamp layout originally too, they were inboard.

[allsidius]

[KTPhil]

This website repeats much of the info, but also cited the three cars, with two body designs:

https://public.fotki.com/stein_s/travels/germany_-...2nsub.html

[allsidius]

[allsidius]

[allsidius]

Could this be the third car?

Comparing to the NSU all-steel car, this looks much more similar in my view. I found it on a page that discussed the origins without offering too much new info except this picture.

The fenders look much more consistent to the blue NSU prototype, the rear sides have no air inlets (but semaphores instead). If anyone knows any detail, please chime in!

_________________
1973 1303S w sunroof Click to view image
1978 1303 convertible (sold)Click to view image
1966 1300 RIPClick to view image

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[IIIA-0426]

Yes, this is the "less well known" Type 32 prototype I was referring to. Here another view of this car, taken outside the Drauz karosseriewerke.

As for the faux leather / wood construction prototype, there is a photo showing the front with the car parked in the same position (in front of the Porsche Buro).

[allsidius]

Amazing! Don't you just love TheSamba!

Any pics from the front?
_________________
1973 1303S w sunroof Click to view image
1978 1303 convertible (sold)Click to view image
1966 1300 RIPClick to view image

Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[usariemen]

I took a look in the books I have at home.
Some older ones.
I have no scanner actually here. So I have just taken pictures.
In case they are of interest for you.

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Master of my domain!

[allsidius]

[usariemen]

[allsidius]

[Slow 1200]

In any case, the "NSU didn't build it because of FIAT" which gets repeated over and over....does anyone have any proof of this? because as far as I have read it is not exactly true ....more like the opposite depending on how you look at it

[KTPhil]

I am interested to hear how the history of the VW varies depending on the interests of the author (or the author's sources).

The NSU prototypes are a good example. In Josef Ganz's book, the design was not good enough. In the "factory-influenced books" it was due to the FIAT agreement, though some say the car came first, others say the agreement came first.

I have been reading and scanning several popular books to line up these various "shades" of fact about the VW history. I'll post it when it's ready for dissection here.

History is written by the victors (VW) but then later other views (some in self interest) come out.

Actually, The Samba may be the best (i.e., least prejudicial) arena for resolving these disparate versions of the "truth." No one here benefits or has a personal stake in the outcome, and we are all interested fans.