The private life of the Freikaiserwagen

• 
• 

Surely “Freikaiserwagen” or “Freik” for short is an odd name for a Hill Climb & Sprint Special. The real origin of the name has been lost in the mist of time, but it is generally believed that it’s a “pseudo-Teutonic” adaptation of the name of its builder, David Fry and Dick Ceasar who came up with the idea of modelling the car’s rear-engined layout after Auto-Union’s P-Wagen. Strangely co-constructor Hugh Dunsterville is not mentioned in the name, although in May 1936 he went with David Fry to a local scrap yard to purchase a GN cyclecar and a V-twin Anzani engine, all for a few pounds. The rest is history as the newly-constructed Freikaiserwagen went on to win many Speed trials and Hill Climbs. Hugh Dunsterville has, together with his son Rob, written a really enjoyable book about the subsequent development of Freik, its achievements and about the people who drove it. Interested? Then visit the website of the Freikaiserwagen, through which you can also buy the book.

Kommentar abgeben...