Gutbrod? Many people will hardly remember this brand and family name, but for some it still rings a bell.
Wasn't there something? Walter Gutbrod was often compared to Borgward. And it was he who developed Germany's most modern small car within a few months in 1949 and launched it on the market as the Gutbrod Superior. And there were also the pre-war Standard motorcycles and cars from the same company? Interested? Then perhaps you should take a closer look at the 272-page book entitled "Alles mit Motor - die Standard/Gutbrod-Story".
A family history
In their joint book, authors Jaus, Schwietzer and Schilperoord tell the story of a German family of entrepreneurs over two generations of Gutbrod. This part alone is exciting and shows that many components are necessary for entrepreneurial success.
Wilhelm Gutbrod and his son Walter are mainly responsible for the fortunes of many different companies that dealt with a wide variety of equipment, whose common denominator was an engine, which led to armaments and the production of parts for the Messerschmitt ME 262 jet engine.
A motorcycle history
We have the Gutbrods to thank for the standard motorcycles, some of whose technology was imported from abroad (e.g. Motosacoche), but which nevertheless had a good reputation and also paved the way for the automobile.
Above all, however, they also made a name for themselves in motorsport.
A history of commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery
The motorization of agriculture was also close to the Gutbrods' hearts, and here, too, new technology was brought to Germany thanks to clever alliances (including Rapid from Switzerland).
And the commercial vehicle was a natural complement to the cars built in the Gutbrod factories anyway, whether they were called Standard Merkur or Gutbrod Atlas 1000.
A car story
From the point of view of Zwischengas, the automobiles that Wilhelm and Walter Gutbrod brought into the world are of course the most interesting. There was the Standard Superior, developed with Josef Ganz on the basis of the May Beetle, a small car with a rear/mid-engine and rounded design in the pre-war years.
And then there was the post-war smash hit Gutbrod Superior, which was developed between May and December 1949 on the basis of an idea, the model Fiat Topolino and a lot of creative engineering work, powered by a water-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke engine, which was even equipped with fuel injection in its final version.
Gutbrod had thus created (practically in parallel with Goliath) the first series-produced automobile in Germany with an injected petrol engine. The fact that the Gutbrod Superior also had front-wheel drive is only mentioned in passing, but naturally plays an important role in the explanations of Otfried Jaus, who has taken on this chapter in the book.
Three authors, one book
Having three authors working on one book is not an everyday occurrence, but it makes a lot of sense in this context, as Jaus is a leading expert on the Standard and Gutbrod car brands, while Andy Schwietzer is particularly familiar with Standard motorcycles. Paul Schilperoord, on the other hand, is a journalist, historian and expert on the history of Josef Ganz. He restored one of the earliest Standard Superior cars known today.
The 10 chapters have been divided between the three authors, with the neutral technical chapter 9 being an exception.
Lots of text, few pictures
The fact that the 272-page work is somewhat text-heavy is in the nature of things. The authors wanted to give enough space to the history of the Gutbrod family and the description of the products of their work, so there was not much room left for pictures. The picture-oriented reader might have wished for a few more details, but archive photos of Standard/Gutbrod are of course not to be found on every corner.
Nevertheless, all vehicle models are sufficiently documented in pictures and, as a little bonus, a collection of pictures of surviving restored and unrestored contemporary witnesses has been added as a 10th chapter.
For those interested in technology and industrial history
You don't need to be a Gutbrod or Standard fan to be fascinated by the 64-year history of the Gutbrod family of entrepreneurs, their companies and products. You will learn a lot of new things and be able to put some things you may remember from other contexts into a new context. And you will learn about a company history that unfortunately, just as with Borgward and Glas, did not lead to success, but which always shows similarities with those companies.
Whether this is worth EUR 48.90 is for everyone to decide. However, there are no real alternatives, and you will hardly get bored in the course of the 272 pages if you are not completely unfamiliar with the subject and can do without the high-gloss and coffee table look.
Bibliographical details
- Title: Everything with a motor - The Standard/Gutbrod story
- Authors: Otfried Jaus, Andy Schwietzer and Paul Schilperoord
- Language: German
- Publisher: ceauto
- Edition: 1st edition April 2022
- Format: Hardcover,
- Scope: 272 pages, around 200 mostly black and white illustrations
- ISBN: 978-3-200-08284-7
- Price: EUR 48.90
- Buy/order: Online from the publisher "Rare & Unique Vehicles" or at the relevant bookstore
