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Spohn Carosserie customs on US chassis


StillOutThere

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I own a 1952 Spohn custom built by the Ravensburg Germany coach building company. Spohn had built bodies for Maybach, Horch, Mercedes, etc. prior to WWII. After the war they bodied Veritas sports cars, created numerous projects like bodies for the Valkyrie cars and also built individualized customs on new or used American chassis brought to them by occupying US military officers. My '52 Spohn was built on a 1940 Ford chassis.

Any knowledge about Spohn that you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Yes, I was aware of the Hartung museum /estate auction of the '49/50 Veritas with custom body by Spohn done around 1952. Owners chose design elements for their customized cars from a catalog of sketches offered by the Spohn Carosserie. With the GM /Harley Earl /Le Sabre concept car's immense influence on design at its 1951 European introduction, several Spohn customers requested the Le Sabre tail fin and taper trunk for their cars. The Veritas and my car are two that share this trait.

I am in contact with the owner of a '41 Packard custom redone by Spohn in the '50s which also has the Le Sabre tail. Spohn did quite a few cars. Others?

Edited by StillOutThere (see edit history)
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Recently corresponded with the owner of a '52 Lincoln Cosmo customized by Spohn when new. Car is in Ohio. Owner has an album of history with the car. The original owner, Lt Luiscombe, USAF, is said to have sold the car to Warner Bros. in SoCal who re-modified the car with "Batmobile" details.

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I'm sure many of you watched Wayne Carini's TV show "Chasing Classic Cars" last night during which he and Ralph purchase a red Spohn Custom from the Dezer Collection museum in Florida.

Nice purchase. Wish they had told us anything more about the car other than that "might be" a '57 Cadillac motor (which was not shown). Would like to know the chassis upon which it was coachbuilt, see the engine, see the interior, know its history.

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I do believe your Spohn bodied vehicle is one of the more successfully styled cars I have seen. Most, including both cars featured on Chasing Classic Cars, are just too over the top for my tastes but yours has a restraint (if I can use that word on a car such as this) that the others do not share. Great find!

Edited by MarrsCars
grammar, it was a mess :) (see edit history)
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On 11/14/2012 at 10:50 AM, StillOutThere said:

I'm sure many of you watched Wayne Carini's TV show "Chasing Classic Cars" last night during which he and Ralph purchase a red Spohn Custom from the Dezer Collection museum in Florida.

Nice purchase. Wish they had told us anything more about the car other than that "might be" a '57 Cadillac motor (which was not shown). Would like to know the chassis upon which it was coachbuilt, see the engine, see the interior, know its history.

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From June 1972 confirming Caddy engine.

 

 

SpohnBodiedCar.JPG

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The Wayne and Ralph purchase has been Cadillac powered probably since the used '57 Cadillac motor became available.   The chassis is '39 Ford, partly evidenced by the Ford pedals and the floor shifter (last on floor at Ford was '39) and the wheelbase and the baby buggy suspension.   Thanks for the magazine scan /photo.   What is the publication?

 

The "Boston Blackie" text has given fans of that series fits for years.   There is simply NO footage or record of this car ever having been used in the series.    It was likely the seller's whim to promote interest in the oddball car.

 

Edited by StillOutThere
add info (see edit history)
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There is a Spohn bodied car tucked away in a building about 25 miles from our shop. Guy has maybe 200 cars jammed cheek by jowl in several buildings. Never sells anything, never seems to work on any of his cars. I could not get close enough to the Spohn to determine what it actually was but it obviously was a Spohn.

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27 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

There is a Spohn bodied car tucked away in a building about 25 miles from our shop. Guy has maybe 200 cars jammed cheek by jowl in several buildings. Never sells anything, never seems to work on any of his cars. I could not get close enough to the Spohn to determine what it actually was but it obviously was a Spohn.

 

Have sent you a message.

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Good morning, just noticed these pictures of Spohn on 1947 caddy chassis I have a Spohn looks a lot like it . Any information on car, photos or gentleman in pictures would be very interesting

                            Thanks

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On 11/29/2012 at 12:36 PM, StillOutThere said:

Thank you Marrs.

Newly discovered history on another Spohn Custom. This a '47 Cadillac done for Charles Justice of Gainesville, Virginia. Car was photographed on a used car lot in that city in the early 1970s. Current whereabouts unknown

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On 4/19/2022 at 8:24 PM, StillOutThere said:

Update on the Spohn built (above) 1947 Cadillac custom.   Photos when new.

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The GN-13-45 licence plate is from the Netherlands. It was used for import/export of cars. It is a pity I can't recognise the background. 

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Thanks for information, Have a lot of areas to research. Thoughts were auto tag from small area in Germany. Photos help answer some, and created new questions, any other information on photos, gentleman, would be appreciated. Thanks for all the help

                              Spohn Talk

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