The allure of increasing speed and a mobile lifestyle increasingly influenced our way of life and society from the 1930s onwards. Today, the term streamlining is therefore much more than just a catchy buzzword - streamlining is a cultural and historical phenomenon that has shaped people, machines and the zeitgeist from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
The Zeppelin building and wind tunnel research
After the First World War, Friedrichshafen became a center of aerodynamics thanks to Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and engineers such as Paul Jaray and Max Schirmer. One of the most powerful wind tunnels was located here in the 1920s. Technicians and engineers not only worked on airships, but also developed automobiles, optimized racing and record-breaking cars, buses, motorcycles and railroad vehicles. The Strom-Linien-Form exhibition at the Zeppelin Museum builds on this tradition.
As fast as the wind - streamlined and dynamic
Over the last few decades, cars have become ever faster and more fuel-efficient, and their design has changed continuously. Speed is a symbol of modernity and progress par excellence. These important achievements in vehicle construction can be traced back to the development of the streamlined shape, among other things. It was the invention of the wind tunnel at the end of the 19th century that made this type of optimization possible in the first place. Important contributions to aerodynamic wind tunnel research were made in Friedrichshafen. This was triggered by the construction of the Zeppelin airships. These were the symbol of streamlining in the 1930s.
The new exhibition Strom-Linien-Form at the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen shows the technical diversity, the historical breaks and continuities as well as the social significance. The exhibition ranges from airship technology to the aerodynamic design of automobiles, rail vehicles, motorcycles and airplanes. In sport, it is not only bobsleighs and racing bikes that are being refined aerodynamically in the wind tunnel, but also the human body and its movements. Today, nobody questions the optimized streamlining of means of transport. The same has long been true of flowing production processes, organizational structures, transport logistics and communication. However, the study of this phenomenon also raises the very topical question of whether "streamlined optimization" should extend to the ultimate consequence of a society harmonized to complete smoothness without any rough edges. The exhibition, an extensive accompanying program and a richly illustrated publication present different technical, historical and social perspectives on the fascinating subject of streamlining.
Highlights of the exhibition
The exhibition takes us back in time with around 100 exhibits. From racing cars from the generation of the famous Silver Arrows to cult automobiles, limousines and world record-breaking motorcycles, railroad models and numerous exhibits from international everyday design. Loans come from the collections of the major brands BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi and Opel, among others, as well as from museums such as the Horch Museum in Zwickau, the Dresden Transport Museum, universities, research institutes and the private collections of numerous collectors and enthusiasts.
Among the exhibits are rare exhibits such as the Horch 930 S from 1939, a rare streamlined touring sedan which, thanks to its aerodynamic shape with an engine output of 92 hp, reached a speed of 170 km/h with a fuel consumption of 18 liters. Another attraction is the BMW 750, an original motorcycle from 1931, which Ernst Henne used in the wind tunnel of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH in Friedrichshafen to optimize the aerodynamics of the machine and his body before one of his world record attempts. For the first time, a German brand had broken the world speed record for motorcycles. With further developments of this motorcycle, Henne dominated the hunt for speed records for the next nine years. The record with this motorcycle was 256.046 km/h. The BMW 328 Touring Coupé is still considered a dream sports car today. Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe and Fritz Hans Wenscher won the class victory in the 2-liter group at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1939 and the Tatra 87 was one of the first series-produced streamlined luxury class cars in the 1930s. More recent exhibits include the Opel GT diesel record car and the Mercedes C 111/3 from the 1970s.
Streamlined shape and zeitgeist
Even "normal" household objects such as toasters, radios, irons, lighters and the streamlined mousetrap can appear highly elegant. From November to April next year, the Strom-Linien-Form exhibition and the extensive accompanying program will be comprehensively dedicated to the technical as well as the historical and social dimensions of the topic, including the role of the streamlined form in National Socialism. The focus of the large overview exhibition, which appeals to technology enthusiasts and automobile fans and families alike, as well as the general public of design lovers, is on the period from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Further information can be found on the website of the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen.
