Autosammlung Stein – Schramberg (D)

For the last 2 years, at the RetroClassics event in Stuttgart, I have picked up a brochure describing a little-known German auto museum, called the Autosammlung Stein, located in a place called Schramberg. I dutifully took the leaflet home on each occasion and put on the pile of similar such material, vowing that one day I would go and visit, when I happened to be in the area. Last time I went to Stuttgart, I spotted that Schramberg was signposted from the E81 autobahn that goes from the Swiss border at Schaffhausen to Stuttgart, so realised that it was not going to be that hard to include this one in my itinerary. With a rather dismal weather forecast suggesting that an indoor day was called for this past weekend, I decided to pay a visit. Schramberg is 20 km to the east of junction 34 of the E81, and is a rather attractive Schwabian village nestling towards the lower reaches of a valley, and sure enough, well sign-posted, is the museum.The collection is displayed on 2 floors, and although the displays are simple, there is plenty of interest, and the cars can quite readily be grouped by type. Here is what I found:

“OLD TIMERS”

First car is a Brasier, apparently, judging by the badge on it. There was no information plaque to enlighten me further.

1908 de Dion Bouton BG8 – this early vehicle could manage a top speed of a heady 50 km/h from its 8 PS 964cc engine. Motoring in its infancy!
1914 Simplex La France. Powered by a monster sized 9500cc engine, this early sports car had chain drive.
1922 Mercer Series 5 Runabout – this American brand is better known for the Raceabout dating from 10 years earlier. It is estimated that fewer than 100 cars of the Mercer brand are still in existence today.
1921 Wills StClaire A6 Roadster – an even less well known, with even fewer survivors. 80 is the best guess
1923 Stutz Bearcat – these sporting cars were built over quite a long period, with varying bodystyles, some more overtly sporting than others
1922 Marmon 34 Speedster – 75PS from a 5.6 litre engine, and an all aluminium body were quite advanced for a car of this period
Another Marmom, with no details provided (I was going by the radiator grille badge)
1931 American Austin – this dimunitive car had just 10PS from its 740cc engine, enough to power it to 70 km/h
1929 Nash Model 431 Phaeton
1926 Studebaker Little 6
1915 Saxon Four Roadster
1925 Citroen B12
1931 Praga Piccolo – this Czech light car had a 900cc engine which put out 20 PS, and was quite advanced in its day.
FIRE ENGINES
A wonderful display of fire engines, most of which had seen lengthy periods of service in the local area.

1916 American La France – the 9500cc engine was apparently shared among just 4 cylinders!

1941 Kloeckner Humboldt-Deutz
Mercedes
1957 Mercedes L311 TLF16 – this vehicle was in use until 1996
Opel Blitz
1962 Magirus Deutz – this one kept going til 2006!
Further Mercedes-based fire vehicles
MAYBACH
1932 Maybach DS8 Zeppelin – the very peak of the Maybach range. Fewer than 25 of these glorious V12, 8000cc vehicles are now left

1935 Maybach SW35  – a cheaper model, this one had a 3.5 litre engine which developed 140 PS. Only 5 of these are left worldwide now
1938 Maybach SW38 cabrio – just 850 of these were made
Unrestored SW38 and a restored model to keep it company
1939 Maybach SW42 Cabrio
The latest Maybach model completed the display
MERCEDES

A comprehensive display of these cars – not surprisingly, since these are very much seen as Schwabian, and therefore local.
W107 – 450SL

W114 – 280CE
W109 – 300SEL 6.3, a veritable “Q” car
W116 – 450 SEL6.9, another “Q” car, this one in American spec
W121 – 190SL
W198 – 300SL Gullwing
W100 – 600 Pullman
W186 – 300b from 1955 and 300d Cabrio (the plaque said from 1953, but as the “d” followed the “b”, I suspect this was incorrect)
W120 – 180 “Ponton” from 1955
W136 – 170 S Cabrio B, 170 V and 170 Cabrio A. The first two were post war cars (1952 and 1948 respectively) and the third was pre-war 1938
W18 – 290 Roadster from 1933
W23 – 130 from 1935. Mercedes’ not very successful attempt at producing a small car
W836 – 15/70/100
CADILLAC
1980 Seville – the second generation of what was at the time seen as the “small” Cadillac

1976 Fleetwood
1969 Fleetwood 75
1955 Eldorado
FORD
1907 Model “N” Runabout

1907 Model “S” Runabout
1911 Model “T” Tourer
1915 Model “T” Sportster
1928 Model “A” Sports Coupe
A Racing Special, based on a Model A from the late 1920s
1933 V8 Roadster Type 40
1935 V8 Phaeton type 48
1964 Mustang – still one of my favourite American cars.
1962 Taunus 12M – the German Focus of its day
1965 Taunus 17M – the German Mondeo of its day
MISC

1959 Opel Kapitan PL
1952 Opel Olympia
1963 Porsche 356B Super 90
1949 Triumph Roadster
1971 Opel GT
1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
1963 Amphicar
1951 DKW F89 Meisterklasse
VW
1955 Transporter

1956 VW 1200 Standard
1958 VW 1200 Export
1972 Karmann-Ghia Type 14
1980 VW Golf GLS
BMW
This one is not actually a BMW, it is the very rare Glas 1700 GT Cabrio from 1965, of which just 122 were made, before BMW bought out Glas and killed the project

E3 – 3.0Si – one of my favourite large BMWs
1963 – 700 Luxe – the car that saved BMW (a bit)…………. as they were still building…….
The 1962 BMW 502 (“Baroque Angel”)
1970 “Neue Klasse”, 2000
1971 2002ti
E26 – the M1
E24 – the 635 CSi
E31 – 850CSi
The Z1
My real favourite from this collection of Munich-mobiles, the Z8
SPORTS CARS
MG TF
MGA
Lancia Beta Spider
DeLorean
MICRO CARS
1958 Messerschmitt KR200

BMW Isetta
Fiat 500
FERRARI
308 GTB

Dino 308 GT4

550 Barchetta – a real favourite – til you see the Heath Robinson-like roof. This is a car for sunny days only!
And FINALLY

This car was at RetroClassics in Stuttgart this year. It is the 1937 le Mans competing Adler Super Trump Stromlinien limousine. Acquired by a US army man just after the war, it was taken to America and repainted blue. It stayed with the same ownership for nearly 50 years before eventually being recognised for the historical significance which it has, and being brought back to Germany.
Completing the displays in the museum are numerous cabinets with die cast models, most of them recent. It’s an engaging place that will entertain for a couple of hours, and worth a detour off the E81 for those in the area.
2009-11-02 08:54:53

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