Sliding through the war years

What would you put your money on? The Porsche or the BMW? The event is a dusty race in Austria. We don't know the circuit, but it seems to be a professional one, with grandstands and the buchmacher wettring. It looks like enough people came to enjoy a nice day out and to see a battle between the pre-war champion and one that became very successful afterwards.

Although we are not specialists in the field of Porsche, we think that this is a pre-A split-window Coupé from around 1951. With its Volkswagen techniques, combined with a handmade aluminium body, it became a car that is still sought after today. Fifty-two examples were produced for racing enthusiasts in Germany and Austria. But, hey, we're here at PreWarCar.com, so we're looking deeper into the car that will overtake the Porsche (or is it the other way around!?). It seems to us, that it's a BMW 328 — the German manufacturer's fastest pre-war road car and very successful before the war. It also has a streamlined aluminium body, combined with a six-cylinder engine. The photo clearly shows the differences in design made during the war.

The photo must have been taken around 1952/ 1954. On the back of the photo is written 'Austria' and the name of its maker, the famous Artur Fenzlau. Our online search revealed no further information, so we cannot see who won or whether our bet would have been successful. But what does it matter?

Published:

Wednesday April 13th, 2022

Joop Terpstra

13 April 2022, 16:24

So Otto Mathe was a dealer of Bardahl oil? I didn't know that. My father used in the 50's only Bardahl oil to drive and race his 1954 DKW Sonderklasse and he always had good results...

David Barker

13 April 2022, 15:58

The photo posted by Erler Thomas is quite intriguing, a banking bike and sidecar at speed, but looking closer the sidecar man appears to have a steering wheel in his hands! Is that what it is? If so what does it do? I have seen plenty of Porsches and owned a 328 but I have never seen a sidecar outfit like that!

Erler Thomas

13 April 2022, 09:28

Must be Krieau Trabrennbahn close to Vienna, The picture is copied from Technisches Museum Vienna, photographer Polz.

Erler Thomas

13 April 2022, 08:52

Yes Mr. Svenfelt is completely right. Otto Mathe had a showroom in a backroad of Innsbruck, a tower of glass, displaying various things like racing boats, trophies, a Cisitalia single seater and for some years the Berlin Rome Wagen. A disguised beetle wich came into illfortune at an american auction not to long ago but the first real Porsche without doubt. The licence plate T2222 was on all of his personal cars. Yes, he was handycapped but he gave many other racers a hard battle. He used to clamp the steering wheel with his chest while changing gear. Obviously money was no matter, beeing the importer of Bardahl.
He also had some involvement with war development of engine oil refurbishment. Thats at least what we assume due to the fact that he collected used engine oil inthe years after war, and when the premises were torn down in the mid 1990´s there was a large amount of clean oil without additives to be found. I wittnessed the Berlin Rome Wagen in the 80`s at the Salzburgring, meeting Mr Mathe in person.
Regards Thomas from Tyrol

Joop Terpstra

13 April 2022, 08:31

For every day use I would take the Porsche. I think also that the maintenance of the Porsche is more easy and can be done by a amateur mechanic, the BMW is a special beast when it come to finding parts and keeping it in tune. In the case of value the BMW will win for sure with 500-700K but prices of very early Porsches are also rising every year and will come close to the BMW. You all have a good spring drive!

Herman van oldeneel

13 April 2022, 07:28

Mathe' won the race in 1952 in Innsbruck. Hevdrove Porsche #356 2-052

Anders Svenfelt

13 April 2022, 06:17

The Porsche is innsbrucker Otto Mathe's. In a motorcycle accident 1934 he paralyzed one arm, hence the right-hand drive.

Sliding through the war years

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