I think we can all agree that this BMW chassis Spohn Veritas from 1949 is …… UNIQUE. The vehicle is being offered by Auctions America (RM) in a November sale of the Lee Roy Hartung collection located outside of Chicago. Veritas is generally associated with BMW modifications that are more pleasing to the eye as well as having an impressive performance and racing history.
While certainly not the most shining example of automotive styling the car does have some interesting heritage. This example is the combination of a Spohn Body and Veritas tuned BMW in line 6 cylinder from the 327/328 along with the accompanying chassis bits.
A quick look into these companies reveals some heavy hitter key words from both automobile history and German performance. After several earlier locations Veritas set up shop in a former Auto Union facility near the Nürburgring in the early 1950’s. Veritas was also heavily involved in the first official German Formula 1 entry during the Swiss Grand Prix in 1951.
In Ravensburg, Germany Spohn had built a strong reputation for their pre-war luxury coach building efforts with Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz and Maybach. After the war they partnered with Veritas on building bodies for the BMW performance tuned platforms. Examples of this partnership included the C90 Coupe and the Comet.
First look at those models will raise the question of why there is such a dramatic change in design philosophy with this Spohn Cabriolet. There is clearly American influence in the rear Fins and they are widely believed to have been inspired by the GM concept cars of the time. So how in the world did this marriage come to be? Spohn bodied these customized vehicles at the request of US soldiers who were still on station in Post War Europe.
This UNIQUE vehicle will certainly add a conversation piece to someone’s collection. If you are into cars that make people ask…” WHAT is THAT ?”. You might just be that collector. Happy Bidding!!
[Sources: Bringatrailer | AuctionsAmerica | Supercars ]
Author: Ross Schold
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/10/17/beaut ... sting-yes/