Tatra Deputy Director and architect of the company's revolutionary rear-engine streamliners, Hans Ledwinka, was persona non-grata at the end of the Second World War. Being an ethnic German speaker who managed an important military plant during the war, Ledwinka was arrested in June 1945 immediately after the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviets, and charged as a collaborator. He would serve six years detention with hard labour. From his prison cell, he consulted with Tatra engineers on the design of the T600 Tatraplan. Upon his release in 1951 he was offered the managing directorship of Tatra, now a state owned enterprise, but he turned down the offer and retired to Austria.
That could have been it for the 73 year old engineer, but it wasn't to be. His technical expertise was such that many companies sought him out as a consulting engineer. One such project was the Spatz 250 microcar for the Victoriawerke of Nuremberg. But before we talk about Ledwinka, we need to meet another engineer, Egon Brutsch.
Egon Brutsch was prolific but largely unsuccessful microcar designer and fibreglass pioneer, designing and building eleven different models between 1952 and 1958. Brutsch's designs were based around a self supporting fibreglass body powered by a small, single cylinder two-stroke engine of approximately 200cc.
In 1954, Brutsch developed the space-age looking, three-wheeled Avolette microcar (posing above with his daughters). The Avolette seated three passengers on a bench seat. The body shell was constructed of an upper and lower fibreglass shell glued together along the mid-line. A rubber strip concealed the seam. The car was powered by a 191cc single cylinder Sachs motor with drive transmitted through a four speed gearbox. Brutsch manufactured about five examples, which he used as demonstrators in the hope of licensing production.
One of those who picked up a license to build the Avolette was the Victoria-werkes of Nuremburg. Victoria was founded as a bicycle maker in 1886. In 1901 they began manufacturing motorcycles. The company survived the war and continued building high quality motorcycles, but in the straitened circumstances of post war Germany, they lost money on every motorcycle they sold. The mid-1950s witnessed a boom in microcars in Europe. Just about anything that had more than two wheels and offered more comfort than a scooter found a market. The directors of Victoria hoped that the Avolette, powered by their own engines, would allow them to quickly capitalize on this market. Unfortunately, after building their own pre-production prototype and putting it through driving trials, they realized the Avolette was nowhere near production ready. To simplify construction and minimize weigh, Brutsch had not given the Avolette a chassis. All the driving components, suspension, axles, and engine were simply screwed into the fibreglass shell. Under stress, the fibreglass quickly cracked and the vehicle's structure was completely compromised.
Victoria engaged the now 76 year old Ledwinka to improve the design. Ledwinka was not impressed with the Avolette and basically threw out the entire design and started again from scratch. Ledwinka incorporated his trademark central tube frame chassis, added four wheels and steel bracing to support the fibreglass body.
The car received an entirely new body, that was less space-age, but simpler to build. Performance and handling was significantly improved. Victoria's directors were extremely pleased with the result and the new car was offered for sale in 1956 as the Victoria 250 'Spatz' (Sparrow). Hans Ledwinka (far right below) presents the car to the board of directors.
Less pleased was Egon Brutsch. Having been forced to completely redesign the Avolette, Victoria cancelled their contract with Brutsch. Brutsch took them to court but the court found in Victoria's favour and were extremely critical of Brutsch's unsafe design.
The Spatz proved not to be the success that Victoria hoped. In practice, ventilation of the engine bay was limited and the resulting build up of heat led to spontaneous fires. The fibreglass body was also a weak point, cracking and breaking around the entry and windscreen frame. 729 examples were built before the company went bankrupt in 1958 and the Spatz was cancelled. Despite Victoria's bankruptcy, the company survived by merging with DKW's motorcycle division, which Auto-Union had been forced to sell by their majority stockholder, Mercedes-Benz, and Express. The new conglomerate became Zweirad-Union.
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