From the archives: the DMG Mercedes roadster “Krupp von Bohlen" and its 1:43 model by RW-models (1968)
The other day, as I was looking through a few folders on ‘oldtimers’, I came across an article published in the newspaper AAZ (Berlin/Vienna), on June 21st,1908. And since, as I just noticed to my own surprise, I am writing these lines on June 21st 2021, this means it was exactly 113 years ago.
I was chocked looking at the two pictures of the car: it had been modeled in 1:43 before, in the distant past!
Indeed, years ago, back in the late 1960s, the German Company Wittek, maker of the “Ziss” and “RW” models, had manufactured a model in top-up version of this roadster calling it at first a 1905 “Kettenwagen”….
There was also a rather inferior plastic copy of the RW-model, produced by the toy manufacturer Nacoral in Spain.
In the historical AAZ-article the roadster is described as a two-seater phaeton with servant’s seat. The back of the seat bench of the “high and mighty” up front featured a double of the car’s instrument panel; it also had a second handbrake acting on the rear-wheels, to be operated if needed, by a servant sitting at the back. Sounds impressive, right? But what for, actually?
Imagine for a moment that after a night on the town, with plenty of
champagne, in a restaurant’s “chambre séparée” of in Berlin, Mr. and Mrs. Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach take their phaeton to return to the ‘Hotel Adlon’, where they were staying when in Berlin, but, despite the vehement protests by their servant(s); they absolutely insist on driving.
For lack of a steering wheel, the servant sitting at the back cannot control the car, and aside from noticing on the speedometer how fast the open car is racing and weaving up the ‘Unter den Linden’-street, the only thing he can do is…pull the handbrake on his right-hand side before the car hits a tree. You know, if you ever have tried that, you know how dangerous such a maneuver can be. Not advisable, not at all!!
Anyway, if we look at it from the year 2021, this “RW-Modell” produced over 50 years ago is a toy, and for a variety of reasons, certainly not the least being a question of cost, we find the exact same “rolling chassis” on all RW’s Mercedes-models, with different bodies (and colours) creating different Mercedes-versions. So, essentially, the car model itself is generic, therefore also quite inaccurate in many ways. Speaking about colours, the RW-model of this particular phaeton is red. Yet the Krupp-owned car in the contemporary article is described as being green with black striping.
Granted, there is a similar sports-roadster in the Musée de l’Automobile in Mulhouse (formerly Schlumpf-Museum) in France, also with an additional brake, and it is red too; but it is not this car.
Of course, we are spoiled by all the research and detailing that goes into the making of a decent model nowadays.
RW-Modelle, that was over 50 years ago, and back then the company was admired for introducing separate and transparent side lanterns and headlights, and we always enjoyed every new model...and still enjoy them today, if only because none of these DMG-Mercedes cars have been built as models by anyone since.
This is a real pity, because this interesting DMG-Mercedes roadster "Krupp von Bohlen" would definitely have deserved to become a nice 1/43rd scale model in today’s detailing and quality, of course including the additional dashboard and second handbrake.
It occurred to me that I come from the generation for whom the name Krupp is still a household word. On the other hand, I recently got a completely blank look from a fifty-year-old in response.
So, just in case: you can read more about the Krupp dynasty here:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/fried-krupp-gmbh
(с)BERND D. LOOSEN
