The X---- Porsche cars

[Porschinelle]

Now another questiobbable pic

The first car is the original Rometsch Porsche with the small beams
The second car seems very similar to the Rometsch Porshe second version with the large beams
So question were they 2 Rometsch Porsche built ?

[Porschinelle]

Apparently the car was still owed by Harry Trenkel until 1959
On this pic Ingrid Trenkel (Harry's daughter) is seen at the wheel of the Rometsch Porsche who was used as a daily sport car

[Porschinelle]

I work too much and make mistakes : please amend the above to read Harry Merkel (not Trenkel who is also a Porsche pilot)
The car desapeared from 1959 to 1999 where it was found in a barn near Utrecht

[Porschinelle]

The wreck was bought by the Hambourg Prototyp museum where this car mayn be seen to day fully restored

[Porschinelle]

And a last question to close this chapter
If you compare the back of the original car to the one in the prototyp museum it is difficult to thincki it is the same car
So 1 or 2 Rometsch-Merkel-Porsche ?
Contribution accepted with pleasure

[Jack Staggs]

There is more discussion here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378245&highlight=rometsch+race

[S.J.Szabo]

Mssr.de Roffignac:

First, love the color of your coupe. And I am a long-time fan (sadly from afar) of the Puma. The proverbial silk purse out of a sow's ear. Too bad they are rare in the U.S.

That said, no contribution, but an opinion...

I'm inclined to think your foto of the two on track tells the tale. At the very least, the second was a complete re-body of the first, for certainly they haven't a single panel in common.

My guess is that someone found the Merkel version so visually offensive that it was made into beer cans.

$.02 from the cheap seats.

[JTR70]

Here they are Gerard. Thanks again for history lessons!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hv1t6S-ZNI
'53 MM Part 1


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yItvnOKlWkc
Part 2

[neilbardsley]

There is more discussion here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378245&highlight=rometsch+race

Apologies I read that forum (I thought) but couldn't find any discussion about the whether the rear of the car is correct?

[Porschinelle]

Hi Neil
Hi Jack

I had already read this topic on the Samba forum but quickly
To day I took the time to re read it completely and found an intersting post of Torben Lenz one of the Hambourg Prototyp museum Managers which say that they found in the Berliner Zeitung an article stating that in fact Rometsch did built 2 off race car :
One with a tubular chassis
One with a shortened VW chassis which is the one in the museum to day

[Porschinelle]

I also went throughy the German Wikipedia dedicated to Rometsch and found 2 things :
The car started with a 1100 cc Porsche engine to compete into the East Germany race Championship limited to 1100

When the East Germany Communist governement decided to forbid East Germany citizen to leave their country the car was moved to West Germany and fitted with a 1500 Porsche engine to compete against the 550
At the same time the engine was changed some structural modifications took place
In the same article I found a list of races that the Rometsch attended
I made some search and found that at "the Wien sandbahnrennen" race in April 1954 (a race on a sand oval similar to an horse track) Harry Merkel finissh 2nd overall and first in class 1100
That's where this pic already posted was taken

[Porschinelle]

Two certitudes :
The car is the first version
The driver is Harry Merkel
The engine was a 1100 cc

Her some pics of this race not yet posted

The winning Veritas ahead of Harry Merkel Rommetsch

[Porschinelle]

A Denzel was also attending this same race

[Porschinelle]

as shown by these motorbykes on the same racetrack

[Porschinelle]

That same 1954 year knowing that Harry Merkel and his Rometsch have attended the Nurburgring 500 km I did a search and found the enclosed result