German title
Chassis no. 10227

- Prototype developed by engineer Karl-Wilhelm Ostwald
- Stunning aerodynamic shape, interesting original condition
- Kept in the creator's family for decades
- No reserve

This strange automobile was made on the basis of a 1933 Röhr Junior, a passenger car derived from the Tatra 75, with an air-cooled 1.5-litre 4-cylinder at the front, a beam frame and four independent wheels. It was designed by Karl-Wilhelm Ostwald who, as a mechanical engineering student, was employed as a trainee at Röhr in 1934, in Ober-Ramstadt. At the end of his contract, he left the company with a Junior chassis that had been left in a corner of the factory. He had the idea of using it to make an aerodynamic test car. Made with limited means, it had a clean form, made of sheet metal, with a wooden floor and sides. Ostwald was then given the task by the German authorities of measuring the evenness of the surface of the new German motorways. The nickname "Tatzelwurm", derived from Germanic mythology designating a serpent with the head of a cat, already refers to the car in an article in the German newspaper AAZ dating from the end of the 1930s.
For almost 40 years the Tatzelwurm served as a regular means of transport for the Ostwald family, before it was discovered by our collector. Today, it is largely in original condition and bears its registration of "American Zone Hessen" AH 75-4500. It comes with its period registration document and the plans which were used to manufacture it. This amazing car is a rare opportunity for any enthusiast of experimental machinery.

Full catalogue and more photos https://www.artcurial.com/en/sale-4315-retromobile-2023-artcurial-motorcars