From February 14 - 24, 1935, the Automobile and
Motorcycle Exhibition was held in Berlin. The Berlin coachbuilding company
Erdmann & Rossi (E&R) exhibited two very similar cars there: These were
a 2.9-ltr Mercedes Benz with fashionable streamlined bodywork and a two-seater
Opel 2-ltr streamlined sport roadster. According to E&R commission slip
#22563, the client for the 2.9-Ltr. Mercedes Benz was Erdmann & Rossi themselves.
This allows the interpretation that the car was manufactured at Erdmann &
Rossi's own expense and risk. This is somewhat different with the Opel 2-Ltr.
streamlined sports roadster. Thankfully, we have a copy of the E&R
commission bill #2566 from Erdmann & Rossi. Adam Opel AG is named as the
purchaser. So it can be assumed that Opel at least paid for the body. Whether
Opel also provided and paid for the chassis # 11417, we do not know.
Furthermore, it is noted on the commission bill that the car is for an
exhibition. The agreed delivery date was Feb. 10, 1935. The roadster had a
fully retractable top, rear wheels covered but removable, two electric winkers,
and a Bo wiper. At the end of 1935, Erdmann & Rossi delivered a Mercedes
Benz with streamlined bodywork in the same design to the King of Iraq, but for
this the chassis of a Mercedes-Benz Type 540K was used. What became of the
sleek Opel 2-Ltr. streamlined sports roadster, we do not know. Perhaps you do
know!
Ironically: At the 1935
Automobile and Motorcycle Show, Opel introduced an innovation of enormous
significance on your own stand. The new Opel Olympia no longer had a chassis,
but featured a self-supporting body. This new technology had the advantage that
the cars could be produced faster, lighter and therefore cheaper. On the other
hand, the chassis-less car no longer offered body builders the basis for
producing individual bodies. The consequence of using this technology, which is
still valid today, was a gradual decline of the b....