1954 Dannenhauer & Stauss Coupe

Dannenhauer and Stauss was a German Coachbuilder based in Stuttgart, Germany, and founded in 1950. They built custom cars on Volkswagen chassis much like Karmann, Hebmuller, Rometsch and many others did in the late 1940's and 1950's. While their cars never gained the fame, acceptance, and success that Porsche did, today, these D and S cars are beloved and coveted by VW enthusiasts and collectors the world over.


While exact production figures are not known, it is believed between 80 and 100 of these hand-built models were built between 1951 and 1954 with the majority having to be special ordered through Volkswagen dealerships. To date, there are 19 known D and S cars, and this 1954 Coupe is the only one that is known to exist.

The majority of these cars were cabriolets and it is widely accepted that there was only 3 coupes made. This D and S Coupe is one of the most documented in existence and is known as the one originally belonging to the Weisbaden Tobacco Dealer.

This car was specially ordered by a tobacco dealer through the Auto Rossel Volkswagen dealership in Wiesbaden, Germany. It is unique because it came with a Porsche engine, brakes, 16-inch slotted rims, and door handles.

An American serviceman stationed in Germany imported the car to the United States and sold it to Jim Roberts in 1962. It was the Roberts' family car until 1973 when they parked it in a barn next to their horse stables until 2011. In late 2010, the Roberts wanted to sell the D and S Coupe and discovered they had a very rare car. It was purchased by the current owner in mid-2011 and a preservation was completed.

Since it was stored inside and not driven for nearly 40 years, the car is well-preserved with very little rust. Additionally, the coupe was very complete, except the original transmission and engine. Due to the well-preserved condition, it was decided that preserving the car is the best course of action. Long-time VW enthusiasts Rich Craig, Ron Huff, Dave Harris and Dave Schneider lead the preservation efforts. Phase one of the restoration was completed in April 2012 in time for its first showing at Kelly Park in San Jose, California.