What is it? Quiz #450

Quiz 450:
Herman van Oldeneel, Judge.


SHW-Wagen, 4/20PS, 1925

Berlin Motorshow 1925.

3 cars: Closed ‘IIIC-2201’, open ‘IIIC-2200’ and ‘IIIC-2203’.

Wunibald Kamm:
- head of development.
- drove ‘III-C-2203’ at 24H Eifelrennen, won a silver medal.
- drove it until 1932. From 1937 onwards in Deutsches Museum
- founded the F.K.F.S., windtunnel & aerodynamics.

Specifications:
- 2 cyl boxer engine
- Front wheel drive, Edmond RUMPLER patented
- No cardantunnel allowed low body construction (as on Cord 810/812)
- 4-wheel brakes
- Independent suspension
- Simplicity implied low building costs. If built, there had been no development of the ‘people’s car’ (VW)!
- PORSCHE tested it and suggested his employer to buy SHW
- Integral light alloy shell

SHW ( Schwäbischen HüttenWerke GmbH) in Böblingen used the former Zeppelin-werke in Friedrichshafen to build 3 prototype cars designed by Wunibald Kamm. The cars where revolutionary. Aluminium monocoque bodies, frontwheel drive, independent wheel suspension, four wheel brakes, 4 gearbox from Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, boxer side valve engine. Two cars were displayed in November 1925 at the Automobilausstellung in Berlin and were well received. These were an open car with limousine top and an open car with fabric hood as on the photo. These cars are long time lost. The third car; open car without fabric hood was Kamm’s personal car with the original numberplate III C 2003, but now carrying III A 8836. Kamm used it a lot till 1932. Since 1937 it resides in the Deutsche Museum in Munich. BMW showed interest, but nothing came of it. SHW coined in a comment on the Berlin show the word: Volkswagen!

This week's quiz car is the 1925 SHW 4/20 PS, SHW standing for Schwäbische Hüttenwerke of Böblingen, Germany. The photo shows the two lost cars IIIC-2200 and IIIC-2201 at the Berlin auto show. The third car IIIC-2203 belonged to its engineer Wunibald Kamm and was donated to the Deutsches Museum in 1937. The car design was quite revolutionary: front wheel drive, unit body construction, independent wheel suspension. BMW showed interest to build that car, and Ferdinand Porsche recommended his employer Mercedes-Benz to buy SHW, if the car would be made ready for production. But SHW turned to build airplanes again.

This are the Two of Tree S.H.W 4/20PS cars from 1925 to 1926. S.H.W for Schwäbische Hüttenwerke Wagen GmbH.
Of the Automobile exposition Berlin November 1925.The engine was built by the Flugzeugfabrik Böblinger Werft A-G
SHW-Wagen with number III-2200 and 2201

1925 SHW 4/20 prototypes by Schwäbische Hüttenwerke GmbH at the 1925 Berlin Motorshow. Designed by Prof. Wunibald Kamm. Convertible license plate IIIC-2201 and the limousine IIIC-2200- An interesting fact is that SHW still exists and has a very long history "The SHW Group is an enterprise with an uninterrupted metallurgical tradition. The roots of the present-day SHW Group go back to the year 1365, when work began on the smelting of iron ore in the Swabian Jura"