Karosserie Friedrich Rometsch, a German

metallurgical Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

coachbuilding A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

company based in

Berlin-Halensee Halensee () is a ''locality'' (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the district (''Bezirk'') of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Halensee was established as a villa and tenement settlement in about 1880, in the suburb of Wilmersdorf, which became part of Great ...

, manufactured, modified, and repaired coaches,

trailers Trailer may refer to: a Transportation * Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle ** Bicycle trailer, a wheeled frame for hitching to a bicycle to tow cargo or passengers ** Full-trailer ** Semi-trailer **Horse trail ...

, bodies and chassis.

History

Founded in 1924 by Friedrich Rometsch, the company was one of many in Europe providing car bodies for customers buying their motor-car in "bare chassis form", complete with an engine, and then employing a coachbuilder to add a custom-built body. By the late 1930s it was becoming more usual to buy the complete vehicle. Friedrich Rometsch and his son Fritz Rometsch had earned their experience while working for the coachbuilder, Erdmann & Rossi. During the early years most Rometsch car bodies were designed for use as taxis, using mainly Opel chassis. There were also some bespoke bodies produced for private customers. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the company switched to manufacturing mobile field kitchens for the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. Johannes Beeskow, a Rometsch designer who had worked for Erdmann & Rossi during the 1930s, built the first prototype of a four-door sedan in 1950; the donor vehicle being a

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

in scrap condition. Rometsch took this concept into the production of a

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

. The

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

had been stretched by about . Access to the backseats was improved by incorporating

suicide door A suicide door is an automobile door hinged at its rear rather than the front. Such doors were originally used on horse-drawn carriages, but are rarely found on modern vehicles, primarily because they are perceived as being less safe than a fro ...

The ''Beeskow'' and the ''Lawrence'' were also based on the Volkswagen Beetle, with a Rometsch body. These were named after their designers. Both models were available as a coupé and as a

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

. These vehicles gained awards at the Geneva Automotive Show several times. About 17 examples were built per year. When sales declined, mainly due to the competition from the mass production of the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, which was 1,500 DEM cheaper and also built on the Beetle chassis, the general director of

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

Heinrich Nordhoff Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff (6 January 1899 – 12 April 1968) was a German engineer who led the Volkswagen company as it was rebuilt after World War II. Life and career Nordhoff was born in Hildesheim, the son of a banker. He graduated from the Tech ...

, stopped the supply to Rometsch. He also prohibited dealers from selling either chassis or vehicles to Rometsch. When Rometsch realised they were selling the ''Lawrence'' at a loss, he was forced to cut wages to

piece rate Piece work (or piecework) is any type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed piece rate for each unit produced or action performed, regardless of time. Context When paying a worker, employers can use various methods and combinations of ...

. A further blow hit Rometsch in the summer of 1961 when the construction of the Berlin Wall separated the business from nearly half of its 90 employees overnight. The production of the sports car ended later that year. From 1962 the business was concentrated on car body repairs, specialising in taxis. However, it did carry out a small series of bespoke conversions using

Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...

s, producing at least three lengthened-wheelbase "hunting vehicles" during the mid-1980s for General Secretary Erich Honecker. During its final years Rometsch turned to producing ambulance bodies and customising

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

bodies for tour companies, while still also rebuilding damaged vehicles. The company closed in 2000. At least 200 to 250 customised bodies were manufactured by Rometsch; automotive historian Werner Oswald wrote of a total approaching 500,Werner Oswald: ''Deutsche Autos 1945–1990.'' while the magazine Der Spiegel reported up to 585. Taxi entrepreneurs from Berlin made Rometsch manufacture 38 of the stretched Beetle taxis.

1951 Rometsch Beeskow

The ''Beeskow'' was twice the price of its platform and parts donor, the Volkswagen Beetle. The ''Beeskow'' became "the Beetle for the

high society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

". The design of falling lines on head and tail of the pontoon body caused it to be nicknamed "the banana". A third seat was installed behind the driver seat, turned by 90 degrees, facing the nearside. The actor

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

bought the first ''Beeskow'' at the Geneva Automotive Show. As Friedrich Rometsch had not thought of a price, he took a look at the Porsche exhibition booth next-door where the

Porsche 356 The Porsche 356 is a sports car that was first produced by Austrian company Porsche Salzburg, Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH (1948–1949), and then by German company Porsche, Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH (1950–1965). It was Porsche's first ...

was offered for 10,000

DEM DEM was the ISO 4217 currency code for the Deutsche Mark, former currency of Germany Computing * Digital elevation model, a digital representation of ground-surface topography or terrain ** .dem, a common extension for USGS DEM files * Discret ...

and Rometsch offered the car for 9,800 DEM, which was accepted. Today that price would equal EUR. Both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn also bought Beeskows. In the late middle 1950s, the design engineer Johannes Beeskow moved to the

Karmann Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück. Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialized in a variety of automotive roles, includi ...

company in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

as their department manager of technical research. Some of the design elements from the ''Beeskow'' were found later in other vehicles such as the so-called "wheelbrows" on the bumpers of the

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car which was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963).Werner Oswald: ''Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen 1945–1985''. Motorbuch Ve ...

and also the roof of the Audi TT. About 175 Beeskows were built, of which the majority were convertibles. The Coupés can be divided into three series, easily identifiable by the size of the rear windshield which grew considerably with each change. File:Rometsch beeskow2.jpg, 1956 Rometsch Beeskow Convertible File:Rometsch beeskow3-2.jpg File:Rometsch Beeskow Volkswagen (1957) 1X7A8065.jpg, 1957 Convertible File:1954 Rometsch Beeskow Coupé M-61006 in Los Angeles, rear right.jpg, 1954 Series 2 Beeskow Coupé, with panoramic rear windshield File:VW Rometsch Beeskow Coupe (25816125104).jpg, 1955 Series 3 Coupé with fully wraparound rear windshield

1954 Rometsch Porsche Spyder

In early 1954 Rometsch manufactured a light alloy body for a racing car, following the shape of

Porsche 550 The Porsche 550 is a racing sports car produced by Porsche from 1953 until 1956. In that time only 90 Porsche 550s were produced, and they quickly established dominance in the 1.1- and 1.5- liter classes. The Porsche 550 is a mid-engine car with ...

Spyder, again utilising the Beetle chassis. The gearbox and the 1.1-litre, engine which were made by Porsche, gave a topspeed of 190 to 200 km/h (118 to 124 mph). Rometsch Porsche Spyder 1953 (14450189273).jpg 1954_Rometsch_Porsche_Spyder_09.jpg 1954_Rometsch_Porsche_Spyder_06.jpg, Original 1954 Rometsch Porsche Spyder

1957 Rometsch Lawrence

The ''Rometsch Lawrence'' was introduced in 1957. The furniture designer Bert Lawrence had drawn the shape of the car. Again a modified Beetle with a

brand-new In marketing, brand-new products or services are created and promoted under a new brand. This is a brand strategy alongside the brand stretching, line extension and multi-brands strategies. The brand-new strategy is focused on creating and introdu ...

body; 15 cm ( inch) lower and a harmonic two-colour appearance. The padded dashboard was uncommon at that time in Germany. A

Petri Petri is a surname derived from Latin Petrus, and may refer to: Surname * Adam Petri, Renaissance printer who founded a Basel publishing house * Alexandra Petri, humor columnist for ''The Washington Post'', daughter of Tom * Carl Adam Petr ...

steering wheel was available as an option. Design elements such as American-style tailfins, wrap-around windshield and Italian-styling won the car the "Golden Rose" at the 1957

International Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

. Available as a coupé and a convertible, it took about 1200 hours to build a ''Lawrence''. In 1959 in Germany it sold for 8000 DEM, which equals EUR today. Production of the ''Lawrence'' ended in 1961. A restored 1959 Rometsch Lawrence is exhibited at the

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's he ...

AutoMuseum Volkswagen AutoMuseum Volkswagen is an automobile museum in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Opened in April 1985, it is one of two museums in Wolfsburg devoted to the history of the Volkswagen brand; the other is at nearby Autostadt. The museum houses a ...

. Rometsch-Lawrence Front Brunswyk (2012).JPG Rometsch-Lawrence Heck Brunswyk (2012).JPG Rometsch-Lawrence Innenraum Brunswyk (2012).JPG Volkswagen 1959 Rometsch Lawrence Coupe.jpg, Rometsch Lawrence Coupé

External links

{{Commons category * (German
Rometsch Modells

Stylish: Rometsch Beeskow
DW-TV ''Drive it!'', 2 March 2016
Vintage! Rometsch Lawrence
DW-TV ''Drive it!'', 27 April 2016

wolfsburg-citytour.de

References