Rumpler
Encyclopedia
The Rumpler Tropfenwagen ("Rumpler drop car", named after its shape) was a car developed by Austria
n engineer Edmund Rumpler
.
Rumpler, born in Vienna
, was a designer of aircraft when on the 1921's Berlin
car show he introduced the Tropfenwagen. It was to be the first streamlined car (beating the American Chrysler Airflow
and Czech Tatra T77
). The Rumpler had a Cw-value
of only 0.28. The measuring, which was run at a Volkswagen
windtunnel in 1979, astonished engineers; Volkswagen wouldn't beat the value until 1988 with the Passat
. The Fiat Balilla
of the period, by contrast, was 0.60.
The car featured a Siemens and Halske
-built 2580 cc overhead valve
W6
engine, with three banks of paired cylinders, all working on a common crankshaft. Producing 36 hp, it was mounted just ahead of the rear axle, the first mid-engined car ever. The engine, transmission, and final drive were assembled together and installed as a unit. The rear swing axle
s were suspended by trailing leaf springs, while the front beam axle
was suspended by leading leaf springs.
Able to seat four or five, all the passengers were carried between the axles, for maximum comfort, while the driver was alone at the front, to maximize view. With the 1923 model, two tip-up seats were added.
Weighing nearly 3000 lb (1,361 kg), the Tropfenwagen was nevertheless capable of 70 mph (112.7 km/h) on its mere 36 hp. This performance got the attention of Benz & Cie.'s chief engineer, Hans Nibel. Nibel conceived the Tropfenwagen racers using the virtually-unchanged Rumpler chassis. Poor sales and increasing losses led Benz to abandon the project. Later Auto Union
racing cars resembled the Benz Tropfenwagen racers and were built in part by Rumpler engineers.
Rumpler made another attempt in 1924, the 4A106, which used a 50 hp 2614 cc inline
4 cylinder engine. This compelled a growth in wheelbase
, with a consequent increase in seating to six or seven.
Although the car was very advanced for its time, it sold poorly—about 100 cars were built. Small problems at the start (cooling, steering), the appearance of the vehicle, and the absence of a luggage compartment hindered sales. Most were sold as taxis, where easy boarding and the high ceiling were advantages. The last cars were built in 1925.
The Tropfenwagen did become famous, thanks to the film "Metropolis"
, in which Rumplers found a burning end. It also inspired Mercedes-Benz 130H
and 150H
road cars.
Only two examples are known to survive, one in the Deutsches Museum
's Verkehrszentrum in Munich
and one in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n engineer Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler was an Austrian automobile and aircraft designer.Born in Vienna, then Austro-Hungarian Empire , he worked mainly in Germany.Lyons 1988, p.73 An automotive engineer by training, he collaborated with Hans Ledwinka on the first Nesseldorf , the Präsident, in 1897.By age 30, in 1902, he...
.
Rumpler, born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, was a designer of aircraft when on the 1921's Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
car show he introduced the Tropfenwagen. It was to be the first streamlined car (beating the American Chrysler Airflow
Chrysler Airflow
The Chrysler Airflow is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation from 1934-1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance...
and Czech Tatra T77
Tatra T77
The Czechoslovakian Tatra 77 is the first serial-produced truly aerodynamically designed automobile. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray, the noted Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 is a coach-built automobile constructed on a central tube-steel chassis and...
). The Rumpler had a Cw-value
Drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water. It is used in the drag equation, where a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or...
of only 0.28. The measuring, which was run at a Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
windtunnel in 1979, astonished engineers; Volkswagen wouldn't beat the value until 1988 with the Passat
Volkswagen Passat
The Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
. The Fiat Balilla
Fiat 508
The 508 was a car introduced by Fiat in 1932. It effectively replaced the Fiat 509, although production of the earlier model had ceased back in 1929. It had a three-speed transmission , seated four, and had a top speed of about . It sold for 10,800 lire...
of the period, by contrast, was 0.60.
The car featured a Siemens and Halske
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
-built 2580 cc overhead valve
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
W6
W engine
A W engine is a type of reciprocating engine arranged with its cylinders in a configuration in which the cylinder banks resemble the letter W, in the same way those of a V engine resemble the letter V....
engine, with three banks of paired cylinders, all working on a common crankshaft. Producing 36 hp, it was mounted just ahead of the rear axle, the first mid-engined car ever. The engine, transmission, and final drive were assembled together and installed as a unit. The rear swing axle
Swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent suspension first used in early aircraft , such as the Sopwith and Fokker, usually with rubber bungee and no damping....
s were suspended by trailing leaf springs, while the front beam axle
Beam axle
A beam axle is a suspension system, also called a solid axle, in which one set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft...
was suspended by leading leaf springs.
Able to seat four or five, all the passengers were carried between the axles, for maximum comfort, while the driver was alone at the front, to maximize view. With the 1923 model, two tip-up seats were added.
Weighing nearly 3000 lb (1,361 kg), the Tropfenwagen was nevertheless capable of 70 mph (112.7 km/h) on its mere 36 hp. This performance got the attention of Benz & Cie.'s chief engineer, Hans Nibel. Nibel conceived the Tropfenwagen racers using the virtually-unchanged Rumpler chassis. Poor sales and increasing losses led Benz to abandon the project. Later Auto Union
Auto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
racing cars resembled the Benz Tropfenwagen racers and were built in part by Rumpler engineers.
Rumpler made another attempt in 1924, the 4A106, which used a 50 hp 2614 cc inline
Straight engine
Usually found in four- and six-cylinder configurations, the straight engine, or inline engine is an internal-combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row, with no offset...
4 cylinder engine. This compelled a growth in wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
, with a consequent increase in seating to six or seven.
Although the car was very advanced for its time, it sold poorly—about 100 cars were built. Small problems at the start (cooling, steering), the appearance of the vehicle, and the absence of a luggage compartment hindered sales. Most were sold as taxis, where easy boarding and the high ceiling were advantages. The last cars were built in 1925.
The Tropfenwagen did become famous, thanks to the film "Metropolis"
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
, in which Rumplers found a burning end. It also inspired Mercedes-Benz 130H
Mercedes-Benz 130H
The Mercedes-Benz 130H was a low-production automobile built in Germany in the 1930s.Conceived by Hans Nibel, chief engineer of Mercedes Benz, the 130H was inspired by Edmund Rumpler's Tropfen-Auto...
and 150H
Mercedes-Benz 150H
The Mercedes-Benz 150H was a prototype sports racing automobile built in Germany in the 1930s.Conceived by Hans Nibel, chief engineer of Mercedes-Benz, the 150H was inspired by Edmund Rumpler's Tropfen-Auto...
road cars.
Only two examples are known to survive, one in the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
's Verkehrszentrum in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and one in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.