1957 Denzel 1300WD Roadster

Wolfgang Denzel built Volkswagen-based sports cars in Vienna, Austria, from 1948 to 1960. His first cars were open 4-seaters based on war surplus Kubelwagens. They were branded 'WD' at first. His own tube chassis was shorter and wider than the Volkswagen, and when he altered the Volkswagen boxer's cylinder bore, his 1085cc and 1284cc 'maximized' the 1,100 and 1,300, 1500 race classes. Wolfgang and others rallied all over Europe: he won his class in the 'big time' 1954 Alpine Rally. A Richard Toland raced Denzels in the United States.

It all ended in 1960 with 65 examples produced. In 1980 Denzel was the importer for Volvo, Ferrari, BMW, and Mitsubishi in Austria.

This 1300SS (Super 1300) aluminum-bodied Roadster was built in 1957 and intended for promotional work by the American west coast importers Hannig & Olbrich of North Hollywood. It was ordered with a special 1300cc engine for racing. This rare model is fitted by Denzel with Weber 40 DCM carburetors. The basic curb weight is about 1400 pounds. It was used as the Road & Track test car for the November 1957 issue and was also featured in the January 1958 issue of Sports Car Illustrated. In 1958 Hannig & Olbrich put it into competition. In the early 1960s, it was owned and raced by Dick Lovell, the founder of Performance Products, a Porsche parts supplier. It was sold to new owners in Salinas, CA, during the mid-1960s. In 1981, in 'broken' condition, it was purchased by the current owner, still wearing California Dealer license plate #744, with two Lucas mirrors added and the windshield, hubcaps, and bumpers removed. It raced with 356 Porsches in early 1958. The 'Pomona Sports Car Road Races' program from February 8, 9, 1958, listed a white Denzel, #20, entered in the FP class by Fred Hannig and driven by Jimmy Moore and Bob Patton of Hollywood, California.