DKW GM Spezial

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Home-made Rally Car

In the mid-1930s, engineer Gehardt Macher from Berlin criticized that DKW cars always had to start in the 1.5-litre class when participating in international race events, even though the standard engines had a displacement of only 692cc. In order to even out this deficit, he designed a car that used two engines for the drive and thus reached at least a total displacement of 1,384cc.

For the chassis the Berlin engineer went for the standard substructure of a DKW ‘Master Class’. He modified the the chassis at the rear axle for the mounting of the second engine, while the first engine remained at its original place at the front. The installation of the second engine was implemented by turning the cylinder block and with the therefore necessary modifications of the starter and the alternator. The transmission, the gearbox, and the accelerator cable drove both engines simultaneously. Gerhardt Macher certified a top speed of 125 km/h and a fuel consumption of 12 litre per 100 kilometer of travel distance for his car. For the four-wheel drive, the clever Berlin engineer simply replaced the rear axle by an driven front axle. In order to provide the needed cooling for the additional rear engine, small, protruding air inlets were installed at each side of the car directly behind the front doors of the car. These were just as aesthetically designend as the entire car body. Gerhardt Macher specifically implemented his idea of an up-to date streamlined car. He payed great attention to a good view and therefore came up with a windshield which was arched and dragged into the roof. Astonishingly, he made it from the then very unusual, flexible material Plexiglas. The elegantly curved letters ‘GM’ – his initials – at the radiator grille of the car were the only marking which pointed to its designer.