Hanomag’s People’s Car

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We wrote about the Porsche-designed and Zündapp-backed project Type 12 recently as a 'People’s Car' or 'Volkswagen' avant la lettre. But we had forgotten about that other German vehicle intended for a mass middle-class market: the Hanomag 2/10 PS. While Porsche had just started work on his Type 12, the Hanomag had already been in production since 1924. And look at one here, presented by a lovely Friday Lady.

Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau) was a manufacturer of tractors, steam engines, lorries and forest machinery that decided to tackle the lucrative car market with a small vehicle in the 1920s. A lot of effort was put into making the car as light and economical as possible and Hanomag came up with some clever ideas. Separate wings with running boards were left out to reduce the width of the car and save on weight. The small 10HP 503cc single-cylinder engine’s position at the back was thought up to provide as much legroom as possible, while one headlight was deemed to be enough. Styling-wise it was pure simplicity, with front and back similarly shaped.

Still, it wasn’t on its own in the German motoring market of the 1920s. BMW had just teamed up with Austin of England to manufacture their Dixi-variant of the Seven, while Opel had just launched its cheap 4HP model. These more conventional cars weren’t only cheaper; they were soon to prove to be far more popular, too. By 1928 Hanomag ceased production of the characteristic 2/10 PS model – 15,775 are said to have been built. Opel made almost 120,000 of their 4PS models while BMW sold over 28,000 Dixis.

Words by Jeroen Booij. Picture source unknown.

Originally published: Friday August 13th, 2021

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