What Beeskow and Rometsch have to do with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
07/10/2016
Johannes Beeskow was a draughtsman and designer at Rometsch, a coachbuilding company in Berlin. He had previously worked for Erdmann & Rossi, among others. Beeskow designed an attractive body for the Beetle chassis, but when it was finished by hand, it turned out to be too narrow and did not completely cover the wheels, which made it impossible to register.
So Beeskow designed an upper body extension that now covered the wheel, received the blessing of the licensing authorities and also looked good. To be on the safe side, he had this design patented.
When Mercedes-Benz developed the 300 SL into a road-going version, the Sindelfingen-based company apparently liked the Beeskow design and licensed the construction method. This is how the story goes.
Today, the Rometsch Beeskow, which was also driven by Holywood stars such as Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, is much rarer than a 300 SL and so it is certainly a very special treat for visitors to the 40th Oldtimer Meeting Baden-Baden to be able to view two of these vehicles - a convertible and a coupé.
