90 years of progress?
01/07/2019
The Hanomag Kommissbrot of the 1920s has more in common with the Volkswagen XL1 of 2015 than you might think at first glance. The developers of both vehicles wanted to build an economical car that could transport two passengers from A to B with sufficient comfort.
Perhaps the (two) developers of the Hanomag were even more innovative, after all they created the first pontoon body, while the XL1, although very advanced, actually became a one-liter car (consumption, not displacement!) mainly thanks to many incremental improvements. For example, the XL1 had electronic rear-view mirrors. However, some of its features are reminiscent of the Imperia, a "racing sedan" from the 1930s.
There are around 90 years between the two cars and, depending on how you look at it, you can say that everything has remained largely the same or that quite a lot of ground has been gained over the last nine decades.
In any case, the basic concept of the automobile has hardly changed since the early days, but the idea of having to start the diesel in the XL1 with muscle power reminds you that quite a lot has happened in the last 90 years ...
Incidentally, the Volkswagen XL1 from 2015 is set to find a new owner at the Silverstone Autosport International Sale on January 12, 2019for £85,000 to £100,000, while the Hanomag 2/10 PS from 1928 is hoping for bids in the region of EUR 15,000 to EUR 20,000 on February 7 in Paris . So the early innovations are still cheaper today ...
