1936 Wanderer W25 Roadster

The Wanderer Company turned to Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH designed a sports car for those individuals seeking a high-performance vehicle that was suitable for both competition and street use. Porsche had experience with forced induction with his work at Mercedes-Benz. Using the two-liter Wanderer engine and adding a supercharger, he produced an engine that offered identical power to the BMW 328, but with a far simpler valve train.

The new sports model was dubbed the W25 K for Kompressor. It was given a tubular steel chassis with an independent suspension setup at all four corners. It was also given a 4-speed transmission and hydraulic brakes. They had dimensions that were nearly identical to the BMW 328, including engine size, horsepower, and wheelbase.

This Wanderer W25 K Roadster has been part of two major European collections for many decades. In 2015, it was offered for sale at the Bonhams auction in Amelia Island, which represented the first time the car had been publically presented for sale in decades. It currently wears a nice, yet older restoration. For the past decade, it has primarily been on display, seeing very little use.

This car is powered by a 2000cc overhead valve supercharged six-cylinder engine fitted with a single supercharger mounted carburetor. The engine produces 85 horsepower.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2015