 For some time I have been wondering which manufacturer once built this impressive Coupé de Ville (or Sedanca de Ville/Town Car). My first guess was Bergmann-Metallurgique, a German company who had built Metallurgique cars under licence since 1908 and produced a pretty similar 14/40 h.p. car immediately before WW1. But then the shape of the radiator cowling of the car in the photo appeared too pointed to me. So I started researching into a different direction and eventually came across a car manufactured by Austro-Daimler around 1912/13 also featuring a razor-sharp radiator with a top that was faceted in the same way like the one that is showing under the cover. This car was a 27/60 h.p. phaeton inspired by a competition model, the famous 22/86 h.p. "Prinz Heinrich" car from 1910. Starting in 1912, it had a new, radical body design that seems to have influenced also other models offered by the marque until WW1. The question is: Could the car in the photo be one of these pre-WW1 Austro-Daimlers and, if yes, which exact type was it? Or is there possibly another line of inquiry I should follow? Words and picture: Michael Schlenger |
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Pre-WW1 mystery car: Austro-Daimler?
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