Schlörwagen: The bizarre German car that was super-aerodynamic but very impractical, 1939

The 1930s were a defining decade for automotive design, during which the car evolved from its horse-drawn lineage into an integrated engineered, aerodynamic, desirable product to meet the demands of the public. Nowhere was this more true than in Germany, where the first Autobahns were being opened.

The Schlorwagen (nicknamed the "Göttinger Egg" or "Pillbug") was a prototype aerodynamic rear-engined passenger vehicle developed by Karl Schlor (1911–1997) and presented to the public at the 1939 Berlin Auto Show. Only one prototype was built.

The Schlorwagen was built on a modified chassis of the Mercedes 170H. Inspired by the shape of airplane wings, Carl Schlor redesigned the exterior, moving the windows flush with the shell for clean air flow and extending the body over the front wheels. Originally, the Schlorwagen was a van on wheels.

The wheelbase was 2.60 metres, the vehicle was 4.33 meters long and 1.48 meters high. A width of 2.10 meters was required to accommodate the wheels inside the body.

However, despite its aluminum construction, it was approximately 250 kg heavier than the Mercedes 170H; The driving safety of the Schlorwagens was affected by its aerodynamic shape and the rear engine's too-rear center of gravity and made them very vulnerable to crosswinds.

In a test drive with a comparably built Mercedes 170h, the Schlorwagen tested a top speed of about 135 km/h – 20 km/h faster than the Mercedes; And 8 liters of fuel was consumed per 100 kilometers – between 20 and 40 percent less fuel than the reference vehicle. According to Karl Schloer, the vehicle can reach a speed of 146 km/h.

Despite generating much publicity, the public considered it ugly and unattractive. The project was discontinued with the beginning of World War II and mass production was never possible.

In 1942, the prototype was fitted with a captured Soviet airplane engine, and driven around a test track. The prototype appears to have been stored at the site of the German Aerospace Center in Göttingen until August 1948, where the seats and wheels were removed during the war.

It was eventually taken away by the British military administration, and has not been seen since. Most likely the severely damaged car was destroyed.