Author Topic: Wendax 423  (Read 2084 times)

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Offline Wendax

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Wendax 423
« on: December 21, 2011, 04:49:34 AM »
This time I don't know the puzzle car. All I know is that it is East German. The first two pictures were taken in 1990 by photographing the TV screen as this car was shown in a TV feature about East German cars. The third picture shows a playing card from the same time with a designation I don't believe.

For one point, please respond and prove the identity of this car.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2016, 08:29:11 AM by Wendax »

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2011, 05:01:43 AM »
Looks like you found it.  :)
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Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2011, 05:07:55 AM »
Looks like you found it.  :)
I don't think so. Melkus Sportwagen don't mention it on their homepage where they claim to feature every racecar and Eigenbau they have made. Card games aren't very trustworthy anyway. Perhaps a nice idea for a future thread: the most hilarious car identifications in card games  :D

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2011, 05:15:27 AM »
I've my share of boo-boos, believing faulty information I've found.  ^-^
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Offline faksta

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2011, 08:51:59 AM »
I think it is just Melkus chassis with a new body on - proportions look the same.

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2011, 12:59:05 PM »
The Melkus RS 1000 was mid-engined. This car seems to have a rear seat. And why should anybody replace the Melkus body with a much more outdated one?

Offline faksta

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2012, 03:05:10 PM »
Guess there's still enough space for the engine under that 'shelf' behind.

And why to replace the body? Say, after an accident or to find place for all family members...

I'm not telling it IS a Melkus chassis undernearth, but I woldn't eliminate this option - it still looks rather possible to me.

Offline Allemano

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2012, 03:08:23 PM »
Reminds me vaguely of this one: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=8065.0
I'm pretty sure that it's VW based.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2012, 03:10:47 PM by Allemano »

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2012, 02:31:31 AM »
mymokke sent me a PM (as he cannot post a reply here) stating that the greenhouse and rear panoramic window appear to be the same as the ones of the Wartburg 311-3 Coupé. Thanks for your PM, mymokke.
 
I had the same idea, but looking closely you can see that the windshield of the puzzle car is more curvaceous than the Wartburg one; the puzzle car's upper door window line is curved, the Wartburg's is straight; the small side window on the Wartburg is larger; the rear window of the Wartburg is divided in three parts, the puzzle car's isn't (I just see that Wartburg must have changed this over the years, so it probably is a Wartburg Coupé rear window). The puzzle car surely was inspired by the Wartburg Coupé and probably by the VW Karmann-Ghia for the lower parts of the body, but that's all for similarity I assume.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2012, 02:44:11 AM by Wendax »

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2012, 02:40:12 AM »
But following that trail it appears as if the windshield of the puzzle car is the rear window of the Wartburg 311 sedan. So the two windows that couldn't be made by a private builder seem to come from a Wartburg 311, which would comply with the time and place of the construction of this car.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2012, 02:43:29 AM by Wendax »

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2013, 12:57:05 PM »
After a year without further response on the PAFW board I'll open it to all puzzlers.

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2013, 02:37:57 PM »
Impatient, aren't you? ;)
You wanna be the man, you gotta Name That Car!

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2013, 02:50:25 PM »
 ;D

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2013, 03:07:27 AM »
To the Black Hole

Offline gte4289

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2019, 05:45:29 PM »
I think this was likely the work of Karosseriefabrik W. Neumann, albeit with a few modifications after-the-fact (headlights, tailfins & bumper for sure; possibly more). For comparison, let's consider the Type 82 below, rebodied in 1958 by Neumann to a design by Wilhelm Neumann's son Erhard:
  • Shapes of wheel arches and flares (front and rear) are identical or nearly-identical;
  • Shape of rear fenders are identical or nearly-identical;
  • Shape of lower body flowing forward from rear fenders is identical or nearly-identical (lack of chrome trim and application of black paint results in less bulky appearance on red car);
  • Doors on more sporting red car are cut lower, yet appear to be identical or nearly-identical in all other respects (including shape and angle of flow-in from front fenders);
  • Windshield from same source.
The headlights and forward area of front fenders on the red car appear to have been haphazardly modified, possibly as the result of poor/inexpensive damage repair. They may have originally resembled the design used on the black car.

Additional aspects of the red car that seem incongruent with the overall design and likely the result of a subsequent modifications include:
  • tail fins
  • Karmann Ghia-style "twin grilles"
  • front bumper
  • rear-hinged door set-up
« Last Edit: January 04, 2019, 08:46:49 PM by gte4289 »

Offline Wendax

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Re: Wendax 423
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2019, 01:48:10 AM »
Yes, I can see the similarities and I thought of that possibility before, but I'd love to have a proof. And the numerous articles about the Neumann-VW tell us that it was built over years, but don't mention another car like it, just the Trabant coupe some years later on.  Hopefully some day the car will turn up again.