16-02-2022, 07:56 PM
Herewith an offbeat response: I have been working on a presentation for the Centenary event and my task is to cover Germany. Many of you will know that Sir Austin agreed a manufacturing contract with Germany in about 1927 and many A7s were built and called Dixies. They were A7 except for the radiator and badge and a change to LHD. The company became BMW!
I have been given a huge amount of information by their Archivist but have also been told by another contact, Gottfried Muller, about the IHLE cars which were special bodies fitted to old Dixies; you could have it all done for you or buy the bodies and do it yourself with of course other go-faster mods.
Here is a copy of an email I recently received from Gottfried:
"Two young brothers founded the little company in 1930 . Rudolf and Friedrich Ihle . They called it " Gebrüder IHLE "
in Bruchsal , South west of Germany. One of the young owners died during war in 1945 , the other started after war again and produced kidcars , small ones, and elektric ones for holiday parks. In 1985 the company gave up . Nothing is left about the prewar history. I know today the very old widow IHLE and have bought the last prewar IHLE 600 which was during war outside Bruchsal. .
The company itself had to produce military things after 1939 .. 1945 the town Bruchsal was bombed down in one single night - and the IHLE factory was completly destroyed , 6000 people died in one night . Bruchsal burned down completly . Archivs of Bruchsal , the Barock castle and all central buildings were lost , not a single paper about the prewar Ihle and/ or their business history was left. Nobody knows numbers about production . Probably less than 700 cars were produced . Less than 100 are left and probably less than 30 are running. 21 cars will join each other in 29th of Mai 2022 in Bruchsal for the first time ever. I do the organisation work. It will be interesting all the best Gottfried Muller."
So if you want to go to that unique 'special' gathering on 29th May I am sure they would welcome guests and you will see some unusual 'specials'. I have attached a copy of Gottfried's car, the last IHLE. It is somewhat over 500 miles to drive.
I have been given a huge amount of information by their Archivist but have also been told by another contact, Gottfried Muller, about the IHLE cars which were special bodies fitted to old Dixies; you could have it all done for you or buy the bodies and do it yourself with of course other go-faster mods.
Here is a copy of an email I recently received from Gottfried:
"Two young brothers founded the little company in 1930 . Rudolf and Friedrich Ihle . They called it " Gebrüder IHLE "
in Bruchsal , South west of Germany. One of the young owners died during war in 1945 , the other started after war again and produced kidcars , small ones, and elektric ones for holiday parks. In 1985 the company gave up . Nothing is left about the prewar history. I know today the very old widow IHLE and have bought the last prewar IHLE 600 which was during war outside Bruchsal. .
The company itself had to produce military things after 1939 .. 1945 the town Bruchsal was bombed down in one single night - and the IHLE factory was completly destroyed , 6000 people died in one night . Bruchsal burned down completly . Archivs of Bruchsal , the Barock castle and all central buildings were lost , not a single paper about the prewar Ihle and/ or their business history was left. Nobody knows numbers about production . Probably less than 700 cars were produced . Less than 100 are left and probably less than 30 are running. 21 cars will join each other in 29th of Mai 2022 in Bruchsal for the first time ever. I do the organisation work. It will be interesting all the best Gottfried Muller."
So if you want to go to that unique 'special' gathering on 29th May I am sure they would welcome guests and you will see some unusual 'specials'. I have attached a copy of Gottfried's car, the last IHLE. It is somewhat over 500 miles to drive.