1957 Wendler Special Convertible

The Wendler Company outfitted Volkswagens with special coachwork. Most were centered around 'Woody' station wagons.

Wendler produced a vehicle that resembled a Porsche but was built on a Volkswagen chassis. The roofs were fabric; the doors were suicide. The frame was made of timber and aluminum panels. The early versions were powered by a Volkswagen engine with later versions featuring Porsche-supplied engines.

In 1957, a larger 'continental' model was designed.

Began building horse-drawn carriages in the 1840s in Reutlingen, Germany. From 1923 until its close in 1963, the company constructed a variety of coach-built cars per customer order. Initially, bodies were wood framed and covered with metal, but by the 1950s, Wendler used steel or aluminum. Through the years, unique bodies were placed on a variety of manufacturer chassis or incorporated their running gear: Adler, BMW, Bugatti, Cadillac, Fiat, Ford, Hanomag, Horch, Maybach, Mercedes, MG, Nash, NSU, Opel, Panhard, Porsche, and Volkswagen. Wendler also built race cars such as pre-War II 'Streamliners', and Post War the Porsche 550, 550RS, RSK, and RS61. Lastly, they made a variety of prototypes for numerous manufacturers such as VW and Porsche.

In 1957, a series of 2+2 Ponton-Cabriolets were built for export to the United States. This is the only one of two that are known, and the only one that is restored. The body structure is made of steel and the body panels are both steel and aluminum. It is attached to a VW pan. The bonnet panels are attached to tube frames like the Porsche race cars. The engine used is an Okrasa, which is similar to early Porsche engines by having higher compression heads and dual carbs. When the engine was dropped for the restoration, it still had, in chalk, on the back of the fan housing the address of the Wendler factory. The body and interior colors match the original.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2009