Far-flung Röhr

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 The first cars arrived in Egypt at the turn of the last century and mostly of French manufacture. By the end of the 1920s, The Royal Automobile Club of Egypt boasted hundreds of members and the country was undergoing rapid redevelopment to accommodate this non-traditional means of transportation. Still, an eight-cylinder Röhr Typ R would have been an exotic sight at the pyramids of Giza. Sadly we don't know the story behind the photograph above – is that an Egyptian registration number or is this a foreign visitor?

These advanced cars were the brainchild of Hans Gustav Röhr, an aviator and engineer who turned his hand to vehicle manufacture in the 1920s. With their silky-smooth eight-cylinder engine, wide track and independent front suspension, Röhrs were technologically advanced, attractive and durable but they never met with the success they deserved. To counteract poor sales, Röhr introduced a much smaller car to cater for the other end of the market. The Röhr Junior was a licence-built Tatra Typ 75 with German-designed bodywork. It was a case of too little, too late, and the firm ceased production of cars in 1935.

Today, for all its many attributes, the Röhr is almost forgotten and surviving cars are very, very rare. If you want to know more, pick up the latest copy of The Automobile magazine, where Werner Schollenberger tells the full story of the marque. If that piques your interest, why not look at the pre-war classifieds where you will find perhaps the only Röhr for sale in the world.
 

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