#The Schlörwagen

[guy60660]

The Schlörwagen | Karl Schlör | DLR German Aerospace Center

[thatswhywelovegermany]

The Schlörwagen

The Schlörwagen was a radical aerodynamic prototype from 1939 developed by Karl Schlör von Westhofen-Dirmstein at the Aerodynamic Research Institute in Göttingen.

The prototype was shown on the International Automobile Exhibition in Berlin in 1939. The car attracted much attention, but car critics derided it as ugly. Although Mercedes-Benz was interested in series production, the design remained in prototype stage due to the outbreak of World War II.

The aerodynamic body fitting seven seats was mounted on the chassis of a rear-engined Mercedes-Benz 170H. Test drives on the Autobahn revealed a superior top speed and fuel economy due to its excellent Cx value of 0.15 to 0.18, a figure unseen in modern cars. However, the car was difficult to drive under crosswind conditions.

During the war, a captured Soviet aircraft engine and propeller was attached to the rear of the vehicle, and test drives were made on the Autobahn near Göttingen.

At the end of the war, the prototype was confiscated by the British occupation authorities, but remained in Göttingen on the premises of the Aerodynamic Research Institute.

Efforts by Karl Schlör von Westhofen-Dirmstein to get the car back from the British occupation authorities failed.

After August 1948, the car – meanwhile damaged by vandalism – was no longer seen in Göttingen. Its whereabouts have been unknown ever since.

[slack-wise]

The Schlörwagen (nicknamed "Göttingen Egg" or "Pillbug")

[2t2r]

La Schlörwagen - un concept-car aerodynamique des années 30

Nouvel article publié sur https://www.2tout2rien.fr/la-schlorwagen-un-concept-car-aerodynamique-des-annees-30/

La Schlörwagen - un concept-car aerodynamique des années 30

[sepiadays]

To the left. The engine is in the rear and is on the right in this photo. Apparently this thing is called the Schlörwagen and was built in Germany in the mid- to late 1930s.

[szalacsi]

The 1939 Schlörwagen was designed by German engineer Hans Schlör von Westhofen Dirmstein.

[hobohobgoblim]

I want this in an almost carnal way.

The German 1939 "Schlörwagen" (nicknamed "Göttingen Egg" or "Pillbug") was a prototype aerodynamic rear-engine passenger vehicle developed by Karl Schlör.

[abdulaziz2023]

شلورفاغن Schlörwagen: سيارة ألمانية ملتوية. عام 1939.

‏"شلورفاغن" Schlörwagen الملقبه بالبيضه للمهندس الألماني "Karl Schlör كارل شلور" (1910-1997) كانت نموذجًا أوليًا لمركبة ذات محرك خلفي ديناميكي هوائي وتم تقديمها للجمهور في معرض برلين للسيارات عام 1939 ولم تدخل حيز الإنتاج أبدًا ولم ينجو حتى النموذج الأولي الوحيد منها.

[macleod]

Propeller cars are something that were reinvented over and over for the first 20-30 years of automobiles (notably, quite a few in France), and I absolutely love the potential because they do make some sort of sense in theory.

My two favorites are the 1932 Helicron (France), and especially the 1936 Schlörwagen Pillbug (Germany, modified by the Soviets to feature a radial propeller in 1942).

Leyat Hélica, a French automobile produced between 1919 & 1925

[rotor25]

[cosmonautroger]

[your-naked-magic-oh-dear-lord]

Interesting story. I'm curious about what happened to the prototype.

[picworldblog]

Schlörwagen: странный немецкий автомобиль 1939 года, который был супер-аэродинамическим, но очень непрактичным

Schlörwagen: странный немецкий автомобиль 1939 года, который был супер-аэродинамическим, но очень непрактичным

1930-е годы были определяющим десятилетием для автомобильного дизайна, за это время автомобиль превратился из своего предка, запряженного лошадьми, в цельно спроектированный, аэродинамический, желанный продукт, отвечающий требованиям публики. Нигде это не было так, как в Германии, где открывались первые автобаны. Schlörwagen (по прозвищу «Göttinger Egg» или «Pillbug») был прототипом…

[gentlecar]

The Schlörwagen, designed by Karl Schlör - 1939 - Berlin

[scifiseries]

The 1939 Schlörwagen as designed by German engineer Hans Schlör von Westhofen Dirmstein.

[electronicgallery]

1939 Schlörwagen... Built By German Engineer Hans Schlör Von Westhofen Dirmstein To Resemble The Shape Of An Airplane Wing. This Car Was More Aerodynamicaly Efficient Than Most 21th Century Cars With A Cw Value Of Just 0.15! (source)