Maybach Zeppelin Stromlinien by Spohn

I am not sure where the above photo was taken.  It might have been at the Maybach works in Friedrichshafen or perhaps at the Spohn coachbuilders facility not far away.  Regardless, the subject of this post is at the right of that slightly blurred photo.  It is the 1932 Maybach DS8 Typ Zeppelin Stromlinien, body by Spohn.

Brief background on the Zeppelin line is here, and a fairly detailed treatment of the car is here.

As the latter link mentions, only one such car was built, and it was destroyed in a bombing raid during World War 2.  All that remains are a few black and white photos of it, most of which are displayed below.

The Stromlinien (streamliner) does not follow the Jaray teardrop streamlining style.  That makes me wonder if the body shape was tested in a wind tunnel at the nearby Zeppelin works.  If not, it most likely would have been sketched by a designer at Spohn or perhaps a Maybach engineer.

Regardless, its style was advanced for its time as well as being more attractive than Jaray  streamliners.  The most obvious feature is the pontoon fender, envelope body design that began appearing on European road racing cars such as the BMW 328 MM in the late 1930s and on American production sedans not long after the war.  Other style features were less advanced, as will be noted in captions below.

Gallery

Front quarter view.  The grille is traditional, modified only by its shovel shape.  Given the large V-12 motor and its need for a large radiator, it might not have been possible to design a lower hood with a different grille.  Headlights are separate elements and not blended into the body like those on 1934 Chrysler Airflows.

Side view showing the curved fender line and the fastback aft end of the car.  The passenger compartment looks good from this angle.  Doors are hinged on the B-pillar that is probably wider below the beltline than on the greenhouse.

However, this rear quarter view depicts a less-graceful aft.  The central windsplit is a nice touch on some designs, but does not work its magic here.  That's because the fastback area is so wide that the windsplit is overwhelmed by all that real estate.  A one-piece backlight plus some trimming might have been a better solution.  Note the dual trunk lids -- integral trunks of any kind on four-door sedans were rare in 1932.

Aft view of car.  Heavy looking.  Note that the "fenders" are really little more than small, sculpted extensions of the envelope body.

Another quarter view.  The paint job seen here and in all the previous photos has the sides and hood dark and the upper areas light.  The images below show the car in a reversed paint scheme.  Perhaps they date a year or two later, as they find the car at a show, likely Berlin's.

The Maybach area with the Stomlinien and a V-12 motor on display.

Closer view of the car.  The dark paint and reflected lighting give the fastback area a more graceful appearance than in the previous images showing the light paint there.

Another view, this also taken a day or so before the automobile show opened.  A photographer can be seen in the background, and the V-12 motor is draped.  The aft windows are not rectangular, as now can be easily noticed.

Frontal view taken the same day: some cars in the background are draped.