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The Sponn bodied Veritas is for sale again. This time by Hyman. Surprising it has never got a wash. I guess it is still not running. https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6657-1950-bmw-veritas-sp90-spohn-roadster/ Late in the 1930s, Germany's powerful propaganda machine took on the world of motor racing, throwing untold resources toward utter domination of the sport. Government-backed Grand Prix teams from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union operated with virtually unlimited budgets, and the cars they produced were marvels of technical sophistication, overwhelming the competition in the process. In sports car racing, BMW briefly achieved similar status, particularly in the 2-liter classes, where their light and nimble 328 was the only car to have if you wanted a chance at winning. They even beat the Italians on sacred ground, winning the 1940 Mille Miglia in a streamlined 328 built especially for the event. But after the war, German motorsport was an altogether different scene. The cars that dominated the pre-war events were locked away, destroyed, or broken up for parts. The legendary Nurburgring Nordschliefe became overgrown, and the surface torn up by tank tracks. But racers are nothing if not persistent, and clubs soon regrouped, cleaned up circuits, and began trading food and cigarettes for spark plugs, spare parts, and fuel. For the German motor industry, sports cars were the last things on their minds. Material shortages and rationing meant it was all they could do to rebuild factories and get German citizens back on wheels. Despite the devastation and austerity, racers still wanted cars, and three German friends planned to meet that demand. Ernst Loof, Georg Meier, and Lorenz Dietrich met while serving in Paris during the war. In cafes, they daydreamed about building sports cars and swapped stories of their racing exploits before the hostilities. All three men had connections with BMW via car racing, motorcycle racing, and sales, so it was natural that they chose to base their new Veritas race cars around proven BMW components. Occupying forces stipulated that new German vehicles could not exceed one liter in capacity, so they utilized existing 326 and 328 engines as a workaround. Customers supplied their own 2-liter 328 drivetrains, along with some cash, and in a few weeks collected their new BMW-Veritas, complete with a modified, rebuilt engine and sleek aerodynamic coachwork. Veritas' first customer was legendary racing driver Karl Kling, who promptly won his first event in 1947, and secured the 2-liter sports car championship that same year. Soon the grids were filled with Veritas racers, and buyers pushed for road-going versions. Dietrich was happy to oblige, and in 1949 offered a series of production road cars with BMW running gear, lightweight tubular chassis, and coupe, cabriolet, or sports roadster coachwork by the well-known firm Hermann Spohn Karosseriebau. The standard Spohn bodies were distinctly attractive, and the cars offered superb performance. Unfortunately, the funding to secure long-term production proved elusive, and Veritas folded in the early 1950s. Despite their brief existence, the firm left an indelible mark on German motoring history, restoring the nation's illustrious sporting past and paving the way for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche to carry the torch into the future. The combination of Veritas and Spohn created some of the most distinct German sports cars of the period. Hermann Spohn Karosseriebau may be lesser known among traditional German coachbuilders, but their flamboyant designs are particularly memorable. Much of their earlier work focused on Maybach chassis, while later projects (through the 1950s) centered on customizing American cars belonging to US Servicemen stationed in Germany. Inspired by Harley Earl's Motorama dream cars, Spohn interpreted American trends in a particularly extravagant manner, employing giant fins, vents, and layers of chrome trim. While most of Spohn's production work with Veritas is relatively subdued, our featured car is one extraordinary exception. Chassis number 5089 started life as a standard Veritas SP90 cabriolet, purchased new by an unknown individual. Very early in its life, the car returned to Spohn, where it received extensive modifications to the customer's wishes. They created an outlandish machine combining elements of the original design with over-the-top fins and jet-age styling cues inspired by the GM Le Sabre show car. Period press reports suggest turquoise as the original color, and photos show it with Cadillac-style sombrero hub caps, wide-whites, chrome rear wheel spats, and the distinct front end treatment with the near-horizontal faux grille and faired-in headlamps. According to subsequent owner R.J. Mrofka, the car belonged to a friend of his brother's, an American serviceman, who brought it to the states in the early 1950s. Mrofka purchased the Veritas from that man in 1965. Unfamiliar with the hemi-head BMW inline-six, Mrofka was unable to get the car running, so he quickly sold it to his friend Lee Hartung of Glenview, Illinois. Copies of the title and bill of sale related to that transaction are in the history file. A serial collector, Hartung spent his life in the scrap & recycling business and built an enormous collection of antiques, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles over the years. He parked the Veritas in his "museum," which was chock full of thousands of pieces, all carefully curated and grouped despite the overwhelming volume. Hartung sometimes shared his collection with car clubs, friends, and the occasional gawker. But he never sold anything, and nearly every piece he owned, including this Veritas, had a special place in his heart. After Mr. Hartung passed away, his collection was dispersed in 2011. The Veritas was a star attraction of the estate sale, as it remained in incredible "barn-find" condition. Despite being covered in a layer of dust from 46 years of being tucked in Hartung's barn, the car was remarkably complete and intact, wearing cream-colored paint with hints of the original turquoise showing through in places. The Veritas Spohn then joined a prestigious collection of unrestored vehicles where it was meticulously preserved it returned to running condition without sacrificing the once-in-a-lifetime patina. After its carefully tended resurrection, the Spohn Veritas debuted at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, in a tongue-in-cheek class of oddballs, one-offs, and unusual concepts called "What were they thinking?" Since then, it has made occasional appearances while being maintained in running order and on display in the owner’s collection. Now available for the first time since leaving the Hartung Collection, the Spohn BMW-Veritas SP90 remains essentially as it was found, with a marvelous patina and brimming with character. It would make an eye-catching centerpiece to any collection of rare and unusual motorcars, and a worthy contender for preservation-class honors in concours events. It is a wonderful example of a coachbuilder experimenting with the boundaries of style, resulting in a fascinating and delightful caricature of the flamboyant 1950s Jet Age.

As a Stanley guy, do you think it is worth more or less than the equivalent touring car? I don't have a handle on the Stanley market. I do know the Stutz market, and the same seller is off by 100% on what they will get for that Blackhawk.

I don't think the colors are helping it very much, but it is certainly interesting. Given that they want almost 90k for the Stutz they are selling and real market is probably 1/2 that for a non running 6 cylinder car, I'm guess they want a fortune for the Stanley? https://www.oldforgemotorcars.com/vehicles/758/1923-stanley-steamer-limo

Agree that the market is much different than a year ago. The last 12 months of public auction results were for the most part very poor across almost all sectors.

The greatest car of the Classic era. Fully restored to its original colors I believe it would be the most valuable too. Maybe in the crappy cream it is anyways.

Not to go too off topic, but anybody that list something for sale with "price on inquiry" isn't going to sell the item. I don't bother if I don't at least have an idea how overpriced the item is to start with. And EVERYTHING is overpriced at the beginning. My stuff, your stuff, everybody's stuff. The market for most cars or parts is about 50% to 75% of publicly advertised asking prices.

Could you get a picture or two? Also, I assume this was sold, it would be great if the new owner could give us an update. What a great car, but thinking about the restoration needed makes me tired.

When the original color is known but horrible, I'm cool with an owner taking liberties assuming they have taste (translation = my taste). There are some attractive browns and the right combination of color, top and wheels could make that car stand out.

Looks much better in those colors.

So I have a prewar picture of this car that I paid almost 200 bucks for. It was the only one I had ever seen prewar so I stepped up. Then this comes along.

I'll comment, I assume the first car is the DV32 Lemans car that didn't make it very far. The 2nd place M is in the Simeone collection: https://www.simeonemuseum.org/collection/1929-stutz-model-m-supercharged-le-mans/ I believe the second car is coachbuilt by Lancefield, but would need to look it up.

Considering total production was about 6 cars, they could also claim lowest production car of all time. They tended to make 1 or 2 of every model.

The timing is right for very few people right now.

I think it is a big collection in Texas. Could we see pictures of yours?

Certainly before the one that did get built that we were discussing the other day.

That is a cool car. The issue is that the sleeves will bind up more readily than a regular poppet valved car. So one that is not run regularly is prone to freezing. With patience and care, they can be unstuck, but not by dragging the car around and popping the clutch.

I was looking at the speedster with what looks like a second windshield and the very attractive club sedan.

I wonder if either of the last 2 every got built?

You need to measure the distance between the ports and then post pictures and question to the HAMB. They will figure it out. Although, I have one that I think they ended up deciding was a Pontiac Eight, but there was a lot of debate.

Ed's boss could pull it off with that car. Now the touring car at Hershey (and also earlier in this thread) is not overly attractive. Although to borrow a phrase, "I wouldn't be throwing it out of my garage".

All Duponts sit high. Except for the speedsters the proportions are never exactly right on a Dupont, but they are TRES cool. I agree with everything John said and think Ed is being clouded by color and condition.

I've never seen one of those on a Duesenberg in my life. And I've seen a lot of Duesenbergs.

Maybe an early photo shop? It is actually pretty amazing what they were able to do with no computers.

I feel like the sign is photo-shopped in.