What is it? Quiz #465

thats easy... a Rumpler "tropfenwagen". after initial success sales plummeted and the remaining cars were used as taxis in berlin until all were gone. did some survived at all?

That's an easy one, surprised there are no replies yet....
It's a Rumpler Tropfenwagen, details can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpler_Tropfenwagen

That was easy: its a 1921-25 Rumpler Tropfenwagen featuring a Siemens-Halske 36hp 2,580cc rear-mounted OHV W6 engine with 3 banks of paired cylinders, and a rear swing axle, I believe the world's first. Also, the world's first curved glass windsceen and side windows and a drag coefficient of 0.28, which is very good even today.
I'm unsure whether the featured car is the slightly later 50hp car with a 4 cylinder inline engine and 6-7 seats, instead of 4-5. At a guess its the original smaller model.
Wikipedia has more info: as does Aotospeed

This is a Rumpler Dropfenwagen. Built by Edmund Rumpler between 1921 and 1925. It's famous for its aerodynamic shape and the fact that it's one of the first mid engined designs. The car was not a success. Only 2 are thought to have survived. A lot of them were destroyed in the classic 1927 film 'Metropolis'.

I think, that it is german car - Rumpler Tropfenwagen (drop car). Regards Jaroslav

The photo shows the Rumpler "Tropfenwagen" ("teardrop car"), built by German aircraft engineer Edmund Rumpler and presented September 23rd, 1921 in Berlin at the German Automobile Exhibition. The car had an air drag coefficient of 0.28 (which is still good today), mid-mounted engine and an independent wheel suspension. It was the first car ever with curved windows. Due to technical problems with engine and steering and the missing luggage space, only about 100 were built until 1925. Only two surived and are located in German museums: Deutschen Technikmuseum (Berlin) and Deutsches Museum (Munich). Source: wikipedia.de

The metropolis movie's car??

Rumpler Tropfenwagen

Rumpler Tropfenwagen 1921. Its is the first production streamlined car with a drag coefficient of 0.28. The car had a Siemens and Halske 2580 cc engine overhead valve w 6 engine. Engine, transmission, and final drive were put together as a unit. It also featured wraparound windows. Its top speed of 70 MPH attracted Mercedes who came out with Mercedes Benz-Tropfenwagen race cars. Auto Union later 'copied' the design for its race cars. The Rumpler also inspired the design of Mercedes 130H, 150H and 170 H. The car also featured in the movie 'Metropolis'. Only two survive.

Rumpler

Hi.
Th car is a Rumpler "Tropfenwagen"Edmund Rumpler was a aeroplane constructor/builder.As WW1 ended demands for fighting aircrafts dropped and Rumpler started building motorcars in the beginning of the -20:ies.Using his knowledge from aircraftrs the cars got a very aerodynamic shape for the time and the cars had a extremly low air resistance rating.Other futuristic details were that the first cars had a W6 engine almost in the shape of a radial engine,engine center mounted.The driver located in the middle of the car.Two cars are known to exist,both in German museums.
Regards
Stig

1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen

At the 1921 Berlin Auto Show, automotive/aviation engineer and entrepreneur Edmund Rumpler presented the protoptype of the ‘R-T-Au’ (Rumpler Tropfen-Auto), a light-weight, rear-engined car with an innovative body design reflecting the ideal aerodynamic shape of a water drop. Production (1921-1925) included three successive series; main differences concerned wheelbase (290cm, 336cm, 304cm) and engine (2310cc Siemens-Halske W6, 2580cc Siemens-Halske W6, 2610cc Benz 4-cyl. inline). Around 100 units were produced, of which the greater part remained unmarketable and were sold cheaply to Berlin taxi-companies. Rumplers were also used to illustrate the evil future and thus were burned in the 1926 SF-movie ‘Metropolis’.

Rumpler Tropfenwagen

Rumpler Tropfenwagen. Austrian aircraft designer Edmund Rumpler introduced the Tropfenwagen in 1921 in Berlin. With only 0,28 drag coefficient it was the first streamlined production car ever. The Siemens and Halske built 2580 cc OHV W6 engine produced 36 HP, and although 1360 kg heavy, the car was capable of 110 km/h. These results inspired Mercedes Benz to build the Benz Tropfenwagen racers. In 1924 a 4 cylinder engine was introduced, the wheelbase increased and this model could seat up to 7 people. Although advanced, it sold poorly and around 100 cars were built before production stopped in 1925. Today only 2 survive.

It´s a R-T-AU Rumpler Tropfen Auto. Edmund Rumpler showed the car 1921 in Berlin. It had a 2,6 Liter w-motor with 6 cylinders and 36PS - (later was a similar version with 4 cylinders). The 2.6 Liter motor was constrikted by Rumpler and produced by Siemens. The car have a cw 0,28 what was tested by VW in 1979. Only around 20 where produced (from the 6 cylinder version with the central frontseat - the other about 80, but sometimes you can read about more than 200 total - ?). Only two original cars have survied - one in the Deutschen Museum München. Most of them (how much??) were destroyed in the film Metropolis from Fritz Lang.

Best regards
Till Jauernig

It's a Rumpler Tropfenwagen, Built by an aircraft manufacturer, Edmund Rumpler in 1921. There is one in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, I've seen it several times. There was one in a collection in Florida but I understand that it has moved on. There were quite a few of them used in the classic film, "Metropolis."

Edmund Rumpler, born in Vienna, a famous designer of airplanes, presented the "Tropfenwagen" in 1921. Long before cars like the Chrysler Airflow and the Czech Tatra T107. It had an aerodynamic drag of only 0.28, which was met decades later by the Volkswagen Passat tested in a windtunnel in 1988. Cooling problems of the mid engined car and its weird appearance for that time plus the lack of a boot did not boost sales. They were used almost exclusively as a taxi.
Only two copies survived, one in the "Deutsches Museum" and the other in the "Deutsches Technikmuseum" in Berlin.

The car is a Rumpler Tropfenwagen . Made by Edmund Rumpler .

It's a 1921-1923 Rumpler Tropfen-Auto. It had a coefficient of drag of only 0.28 and was capable of 70 mph on only 36 hp from its rear-mounted W-6 engine. It had swing axles in the rear and featured the first use of curved glass on an automobile. They were seen in the 1927 film, "Metropolis."

This is the Rumpler Tropfenwagen of 1921. A legendary pioneer of streamlining.

1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen - described as the first Aerodynamic car. Seimens & Halske built 2580cc engine in two banks of three on a common crankshaft. The first vehicle (believed) to have curved windows/windscreen. Est 100 were built with only 2 originals known to survive both in Germany.

Most of the original survivors were destroyed in the movie Metropolis.

The Rumpler Tropfenwagen - "Rumpler drop car", - named after its shape) was a car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler.

Rumpler, born in Vienna, was known as a designer of aircraft when at the 1921 Berlin car show he introduced the Tropfenwagen. It was to be the first streamlined production car, before the Chrysler Airflow and Tatra T77. The Rumpler had a drag coefficient of only 0.28, a measurement which astonished later engineers and would be competitive even today. For comparison: the top ten most aerodynamic production cars in 2014/2015 worked their way down from a value of 0.26.[2][3] The Fiat Balilla of the mid-1930s, by contrast, was rated at 0.60.
To enable the car's aerodynamic shape, the Tropfenwagen also featured the world's first (single plane) curved windows. Both the windscreen and the side windows were significantly curved.

The car featured a Siemens and Halske-built 2,580 cc (157 cu in) overhead valve W6 engine, with three banks of paired cylinders, all working on a common crankshaft. Producing 36 hp (27 kW), it was mounted just ahead of the rear axle. The engine, transmission, and final drive were assembled together and installed as a unit. The Rumpler invented rear swing axles were suspended by trailing leaf springs, while the front beam axle was suspended by leading leaf springs.

Able to seat four or five, all the passengers were carried between the axles, for maximum comfort, while the driver was alone at the front, to maximize view. With the 1923 model, two tip-up seats were added.

Weighing nearly 3,000 lb (1,361 kg), the Tropfenwagen was nevertheless capable of 70 mph (110 km/h) on its mere 36 hp (27 kW). This performance got the attention of Benz & Cie.'s chief engineer, Hans Nibel. Nibel conceived the Mercedes-Benz Tropfenwagen racers using the virtually unchanged Rumpler chassis. Poor sales and increasing losses led Benz to abandon the project. Later Auto Union racing cars resembled the Benz Tropfenwagen racers and were built in part by Rumpler engineers.

Rumpler made another attempt in 1924, the 4A106, which used a 50 hp (37 kW) 2,614 cc (159.5 cu in) inline 4-cylinder engine. This compelled a growth in wheelbase, with a consequent increase in seating to six or seven.

Although the car was very advanced for its time, it sold poorly—about 100 cars were built. Small problems at the start (cooling, steering), the appearance of the vehicle, and the absence of a luggage compartment hindered sales. Most were sold as taxis, where easy boarding and the high ceiling were advantages. The last cars were built in 1925.

The Tropfenwagen did become famous, thanks to the film "Metropolis", in which Rumplers found a burning end. It also inspired Mercedes-Benz 130H / 150H / 170H road cars.

Only two examples are known to survive, one in the Deutsches Museum's Verkehrszentrum in Munich and one in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. As described on Wikipedia.

Rumpler - Tropfenwagen

Goedemorgen

Deze mooie auto is een Rumpler -Tropfenwagen , waarvan er
schijnbaar nog 2 zijn overgebleven.
Begin jaren 20 metSiemens en Benz motoren!

Groeten
Frans van Stee

Dear prewarcar-team,

you chose one of my dream-cars, still hoping to find one in a shed....
So here my solution:

The Rumpler Tropfenwagen (“drop-car”), around 100 cars built from 1921 to 1925, was developed by the Austrian aircraft-engineer Edmund Rumpler.
Streamline-body with curved windows (first used in a car) gave a drag-coefficient of 0.28.
We see the 5-seater(first series), ohv-W6-engine, mounted ahead of the rear-axle, one common crankshaft, 2,580 cc, 36 hp, 70 mph , followed in 1924 as 7-seater with 50 hp, 2,614 cc, 4-cylinder-inline-engine.
With high comfort to the passengers the Tropfenwagen was a good taxi, but an economical disaster.
The last of the unsaleable vehicles died the flaming death in the finale of Fritz Lang's “Metropolis”-masterpiece.

Enjoy the dutch spring and the Zandvoort-beach..
Best regards from the Nahe- valley
Fritz

1920 Rumpler

This is the first production version of the Rumpler Tropfenauto (R-T-Au), the short wheelbased Type Ru 0A 104 from 1921. It was powered by a midship-mounted Siemens & Halske W6 engine. Its successor, the also teardrop-shaped LWB-only Ru 4A 106, had a conventional inline four engine and rounded fenders. In 1922, Benz acquired a licence for Edmund Rumpler's Tropfenauto, only one Tropfenauto was built with Benz badges, but some race cars evolved from it. About 100 Tropfenautos were produced, mostly used as taxis in Berlin. Some of them ended up in the movie "Metropolis" forming a burning stake. However, two survived.

1921 Rumpler Tropfenauto, the clou at the Berlin Automobile show that year. The brainchild of Edmund Rumpler (1872-1940) a jewish born Austrian engineer . Rear mounted engine by Siemens & Halske, three banks of twin cylinders. Equipped with swing rear axle, Rumpler had patented it already in 1903. Few private buyers due to the German inflation. But many were used as taxicabs in the German capital ending up in the destruction scene in Fritz Lang's 1927 movie Metropolis. Of the under 100 produced two survives, one from 1921 and one from the third and last production series with 4-cylinder Benz engine

Rumpler Tropfenwagen 1921-1925, designed and built by Edmond Rumpler. Aerodynamicaly designed with an air tunnel it had a Cd .28. Siemens & Halske ohv w6 36hp but went 70mph! Its one peice curved glass windshield is a first. 100 built. Popular for Taxis with their easy access and high head room. The last Tropfenwagens were used (and burned) in ‘Metropolis’. 1923 Benz ‘Tropfenwagen racer’ used a Rumpler chassis. Edmond Rumpler worked with Hans Ledwinka (Tatra), Daimler, Adler and in 1910 became Germanys first aircraft manufacturer. Only 2 survive in museums.

Hello,

Rumbler-Tropfenwagen from Berlin - Johannisthal.

Greetings from Berlin
Th. Butzmann

Het was inderdaad niet zo moeilijk, de RUMPLER 1921 staat in The Complete Encyclopaedia of Motorcars op blz. 494 , het zg. Teardrop model

1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen. Designed by Austrian aircraft designer Edmund Rumpler, it was the first streamlined prpduction car with a very credible drag coefficient of only 0.28. This enabled it to achieve a speed of 70mph from only 36HP. In todays parlence it is mid-engined with its 2.5 litre W6 engine mounted ahead of the rear axle. All passengers were accommodated withing the wheelbase making for a very comfortable ride.

The car is a Rumpler Tropfenwagen (tear-drop car) , Dr. Edmund Rumpler's first car as an independent. He was born in Vienna in 1872 and was employed by Nusselsdorf and Adler by 1900. Worked with Ludwinka on the first Tatra car, and with Daimler. By 1910 he had started Germany's first aircraft production and continued this during WW I. After the war he turned to cars using aircraft principles, including streamlining and engine configuration.
This car had 2.6 litre, 36 bhp engine of 6 cylinders with 2 pairs of 3 cylinders in radial formation on a common crankshaft, to Rumpler's design.

Although it looks a bit different than the picture I have in my mind it might be a „Tropfenwagen“ made by Rumpler in Germany.

The Picture shows one of the early Rumpler Tropfen-Auto 10/30 PS from 1921 or 22. The raindrop-form of body and chassis-baseplate was inspired by airplane design, as was the Siemens 3x2 cyl W-engine in the Arrangement of a fan and situated as a block together with gearbox and axledrive in the rear . Though the design was that advanced, the car did not run well and not sell well, so only some 20 were produced. The next model, produced in a series of 100 from 1924, was later merely sold off as taxicab in Berlin.

It is a Rumpler Tropfenwagen from Austria about 1921. Arguably the 1st production aerodynamic car ever produced. It was not a commercial success but apparently boasted an impressive aerodynamic coefficient even by today's standards. About 100 were produced with 2 survivors in museums.

1921 or 1922 Rumpler Tropfenwagen. With experience in both automobile and aeroplane engineering, Dr. Edmund Rumpler decided after WW1 to combine his skills by creating a car that looked a bit like a plane. The radical wind-cheating design was unveiled at the 1921 Berlin Auto Show. It featured a 2580cc Siemens & Halske W6 engine mounted just ahead of the rear axle line. The reduced frontal aspect, curved windows, belly pan, and horizontal fenders produced a sensational 0.28 Cd. Although production ended in 1925, the Tropfenwagen is remembered as the car of the future in Fritz Lang’s 1927 movie, “Metropolis.”