What is it? Quiz #417

This is a sports EGO 4/14PS loaned to Rudolf Caracciola by a Mr Wusthoff from Chemnitz and prepared by the works in East Berlin for the 1923 Berlin Stadium Race on the condition that if Rudi won he would not have to pay for the race preparation. Of course he won beating a Grade,Omikron and a Coco despite a protest from the Grade driver. Wusthoff then introduced Rudi to Daimler and the rest is history.
I won twice already.

I think I might have tripped over the answer to this one when I was trying to answer Quiz #411 (see below) so let me try a bit of recycling:

I suggest you Quiz #417 shows champion driver Rudi Caracciola seated at the wheel of an EGO, c1923.

Georgano gives some details on EGO, built 1921-1925 by Mercur Flugzeugbau Gmbh, Berlin, and later by Hiller Automobilfabrik AG. The car illustrated is a sv 4/14PS (in-line four, sv, 65x78, 1016c.c., 15 h.p. at 3000 rpm). He mentions a 24bhp Sports version of this car that gave Rudi Caracciola his first race victory in 1923.

Mercur's aircraft background would help with the pretty sporting body. According to "German High Performance Cars 1894-1965" the motor was upgraded to give 24 h.p. at 5000 rpm, twin carburettors, detachable head, light-metal pistons, duralumin con rods. The description of the suspension in Sloninger and von Fersen is the only potential problem: "Front and rear quarter-elliptics were replaced by semi-elliptic springs, the rear one mounted transversly." So a disprepancy with the suspension, as the front axle of the Quiz car is still carried on quarter elliptics. The rear is interesting, and could be riding on the transverse springs mentioned.

Anyway, in the April of 1923 Caracciola won the ADAC race at the Berlin Stadium in the little Ego that was said to be borrowed for the race. Despite an ailing oil pump, his winning speed was 46.6 mph. Later in 1923 he joined Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft as a car salesman at its Dresden sales outlet, and began a most successful career with a better class of racer.

Now to the problem. There is at least one surviving photo said to be of Caracciola's race-winning car:

and while it is similar to the Quiz car it differs in that it carries racing number 3, and has a nickel plated radiator surround. Could your photo show Caracciola having a nostalgic reunion with the little EGO?

According to an early PWC feature, there is at least one surviving EGO, which was at that time in Romania.

http://www.prewarcar.com/magazine/previous-features/build-up-your-ego-002397.html

Best regards from Adelaide,

Leon Mitchell

P.S. I have won before, but still haven't received my T-shirt!




My friend assures my your Quiz #411 car is a BOB, so I'll have to think of something else!

"...like a cartoon hero"? I came up with Nug, but beyond Georgano, the only English-language reference I could find to Nug was a dismissive mention in "German High Performance Cars 1894-1965" (Sloninger and von Fersen, 1965): "How many people remember names like Grade, Koco, Omikron Alfi and N.U.G. (sic) - none of whom did more than appear briefly? Most were highly unsporting..." I'd have a character called Nug in my cartoon, but you wouldn't be so cruel to feature a Nug in your Quiz???

So not BOB, not Nug, ... how about EGO? Yes let's go with EGO!

Georgano gives some details on EGO, built 1921-1925 by Mercur Flugzeugbau Gmbh, Berlin, and later by Hiller Automobilfabrik AG. The car illustrated is a sv 4/14PS (in-line four, sv, 65x78, 1016c.c., 15 h.p. at 3000 rpm), which differs from the Quiz car by featuring quarter elliptic suspension front and rear. He mentions a 24bhp Sports version of this car that gave Rudi Caracciola his first race victory in 1923. Could this be the car in your photo?

Mercur's aircraft background would help with the body and alloy belly pan. The motor was upgraded to give 24 h.p. at 5000 rpm, twin carburettors, detachable head, light-metal pistons, duralumin con rods. The description of the suspension in Sloninger and von Fersen is the only potential problem: "Front and rear quarter-elliptics were replaced by semi-elliptic springs, the rear one mounted transversly." So a disprepancy with the rear suspension?

Anyway, in the April 1923 of that year Caracciola won the 1923 ADAC race at the Berlin Stadium in the little Ego that was said to be borrowed for the race. Despite an ailing oil pump, his winning speed was 46.6 mph. Later in 1923 he joined Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft as a car salesman at its Dresden sales outlet, and began a most successful career with a better class of racer!


Now if your quiz car is a BOB or a NUG I've wasted a couple of hours but had plenty of fun!

Best regards from Adelaide,

Leon Mitchell

It´s the EGO 4/14, driven by Rudi Caracciola at the Grunewaldstadion (not AVUS!)/Berlin 1923. Even, if Caracciola was a Fafnir-Dealer, he drove the EGO of a friend (rumors say, that his sales were too low, so Fafnir didn´t provide him a car). He won the the race with an average of 76,6kph (first run - 30laps) and 78kph (final run - 40laps). EGO was the Automobile-division of Mercur-Flugzeugwerke-GmbH in Berlin. Automobile production went from 1921 to 1927 (1923-1925 produced as "Hiller"). Four Modells were built: 4/14, 4/20, 4/24 with sidevalve- and the 5/25 with OHV-engines. Two cars remain.

Best,
Hubertus

...not yet winner of the PreWar-Quiz, twice winner of the PostWar-Quiz

It is the young Rudolf Caracciola at the wheel of an Ego 4/14 PS Sportausführung. The Ego 4/14 was built in Berlin by Mercur Flugzeugbau GmbH from 1921 to 1925. The twin carb sports version delivered up to 25 hp with its 1028 cc engine. On April 28/29th, 1923, Caracciola won the 4PS class of the ADAC-Stadion-Rennen at the Grunewaldstadion Berlin (not Avus as often said) with his Ego. His prize were 12 lunch vouchers. His winning time was even 30 seconds less than that of the 5PS class.

Hello. It is an 1923 Ego 4 / 14 PS and was built in Berlin. The "Ego Werke" were founded by the "Mercur Flugzeugbau GmbH" in 1921. In my Opinion the famous driver is Rudolf Otto Wilhelm Caracciola.

Hello,

if this is Not HATAZ - perhaps it is the 1923 EGO racing car. This was the winning car (driver Rudolf Caracciola) of the ADAC stadium race Berlin.
EGO = Ego-Werke (1921-1923); Ego-Werke AG (1923-1924); Ego-Autobau GmbH (1925-1925)

Best regards
Christian

Rudolf Caracciola lors d’une victoire sur l’Avus à Berlin en 1923 l’auto est une Fafnir de la Fafnir-Automobilwerke à Aachen. Il avait fini quatrième l’année précédente sur la même auto à l’age de 21 ans.
Lors d’un essai de la 300SL en 1954 aux établissements Trocherie concessionnaire Mercedes à cette époque à Bordeaux, ma ville natale, le père d’un ami était monté à bord avec un essayeur qui marchait avec des béquilles, c’était Rudolf Caracciola.

Hello,

I think this is a 1922 HATAZ 18 PS (18 HP) racing car. One of this car exist in a museum (Museum für sächsiche Fahrzeuge Chemnitz or August Horch Museum Zwickau - I'm not shure)
HATAZ = HATAZ Kleinautofabrik Hans Tautenhahn, Zwickau/Sachsen

Best regards
Christian

Would it be the Fafnir driven by Rudi Caracciola at the Avus Track in 1922

Rudolf Caracciola won his first race in 1923 with this Ego 4/14HP at the Opelbahn, Berlin, http://goo.gl/kJQexv. Caracciola was a trainee and test driver for Fafnir-Automobilwerke since 1920, finishing fourth at the AVUS track in Berlin 1922 with a Fafnir 8/50PS Sport. After troubles with a Belgian officer, C. escaped to Dresden as a Fafnir representative. He was able to loan Wüsthoff’s Ego, which was overhauled at Ego-Autobau’s “Merkur” aircraft factory. 4/14 had 1016cc 14hp side-valve four, magneto, electric starter and lightning. Later models had 1290cc four or 1320 OHV. See German https://goo.gl/dr6u4z , Austrian http://goo.gl/VYiZlH and Romanian Ego http://goo.gl/Ms25pO

This is the 1923 EGO produced by the Berlin based Merkur Flugzeugbau on which Rudolf Caracciola won the 1923 ADAC-race at the Grunewald Stadion in Berlin. This race course was built for bicycle races and was a mere 666m long. The car was a variant of the Ego 4/14 with its straight four SV at 1016cc and 15hp/3000 rpm. The race version had two Solex carburetors instead of one, a detachable instead of a fixed head and aluminium pistons bringing it to 24hp/5000 rpm. Rumor has it that Caracciola’s award for winning this race was 12 free luncheons. Times have changed!