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Artz , the brand under which the car dealership north city Hannover 1970 until the end of the early 1980s autotuning offering. The brand name went back to the managing director Günter Artz. The basis for the vehicle conversions were mainly the models from Audi , VW and Porsche .

VW Golf 928 from Artz, based on the Porsche 928 - visually recognizable by the vehicle width

history

Günter Artz was the managing director of the Nordstadt car dealership in Hanover. He was a PR specialist who thought up and developed fixed price maintenance, the used car tent and the Nordstadt rear window sticker. He gained fame primarily through his innovative car tuning. In retrospect, it appears to be a particular skill of Günter Artz to get an official registration for his vehicles at a time when the TÜV rejected other vehicles solely because of a slightly changed tire size or a more sporty looking rearview mirror. His first personal conversions were a VW Karmann Ghia Type 34 with an air-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine from the Chevrolet Corvair and in 1969 the Nordstadt Express , a silver-colored VW 411 with a Porsche 911 engine.

In 1972 he created the “Nordstadt Carrera Beetle” with a speed of 213 km / h from a VW 1303 body and the chassis of a VW Porsche 914/6 and the 210 hp 2.7 liter engine of the Porsche 911 from zero to 100 km / h in 7.3 seconds. The Nordstadt Carrera Beetle looks like a Beetle, but is strictly speaking one disguised as a Beetle, i. H. VW Porsche 914/6 with a new body fitted with a mid-engine , which has a small trunk where the classic Beetle has the engine.

In 1978, his Italian body fitter, Celeste di Santolo, cut off the roof above the window line of an accident pre-production Porsche 928 and clad the unchanged chassis with the body of a VW Golf, which he had previously widened by 210 mm and lengthened by 300 mm, so that it was effective for the press Nordstadt Golf 928 with a desired sales price of 150,000 DM .

In March 1980 he sold a tuned VW Golf to the timber merchant and amateur racers louis krages from Bremen, who five years later under the pseudonym John Winter with a Porsche 956 C , the 24 Hours of Le Mans won. In October 1981 the Nordstadt Carrera Beetle and Golf 928 as well as three station wagon versions of the Audi 200 5T, Audi quattro and Porsche 924 Turbo were released.

In the autumn of 1980, Artz received from Porsche the approval for the "golfering" of the new, 300 hp Porsche 928 S and asked Webasto for a cost estimate for the production of 100 roof segments. Even before the start of production of the small series, there were internal dissonances at the Bischoff & Hamel Group, to which Nordstadt belongs, and Artz set up his own name, Artz, as a car tuner on the same street. He founded the Opel-Blitz car dealership and in 1983 presented the Mini-Blitz, a caravan (i.e. station wagon ) with a 1.8-liter engine and the gearbox and front brake system from the Kadett D GTE using specially made drive shafts. During this time, Opel- based conversions were made , for example the Opel Senator B Kombi, which combined parts of the Opel Senator and the largely identical Opel-Omega Kombi , or the Opel Kadett V8, a Corvette , which had the body of an Opel Kadett GSI was put on, as well as its last major conversion, the Lotus Calibra, in which a modified Opel Calibra body was built on a Lotus Omega base.

Due to contractual discrepancies with Opel, which involved EU gray imports , the contractual relationship was terminated and the auto trade under the name Artz ended. At the end of the Opel era, at least eight Mercedes vehicles based on the W 124 series were also built ; these were 500 E models as a station wagon version that was not offered ex works.

Today the company deals with the long-term preservation of vehicles, an area of ​​activity that was part of the offer as early as the early 1980s. Günther Artz retired from the automotive business in 1996.

Models

The Artz conversions were known all over the world and were often worth a cover article for renowned automotive magazines. Sports cars were often converted into station wagon models . Many Artz vehicles remained one-offs, some were built in small series up to approx. 30 pieces. The magazine Auto, Motor und Sport described a selection of Artz vehicles as "The greatest cars from Germany" on its title page in issue 21 of October 21, 1981.

Audi 200 station wagon

The Audi 200 Kombi was created by adapting the rear of a VW Passat Variant to an Audi 200 Sedan ( Type 43 ) . Since Audi itself never offered the Audi 200 of the type 43 as an Avant , the Audi 200 station wagon from Artz was a specialty, especially since the Avant version of the identical Audi 100 at that time still had a pure hatchback , while the Audi 200 station wagon from Artz a real one Station wagon was.

As a special feature, the Audi 200 Kombi was also offered with all-wheel drive and the 147 kW engine of the Audi Quattro.

Audi quattro station wagon

The Audi quattro station wagon was an independent development by Artz, in which the rear was individually designed. The large rear window, which also served as the trunk lid, was striking. It reached very far down to the light strip between the rear lights.

Audi quattro sedan

Audi Quattro ARTZ Limousine.JPG

The body came from an Audi 80 CD that came on the market in August 1981. The bodies could be recognized by the larger air intakes under the front bumper. In October 1981 the Audi Quattro rear was installed, in November 1981 the roof and the B-pillar from an Audi 80 were installed. Most of the front and rear are from the Audi Quattro . The rear wall for attaching the backrest is also from the Quattro. The trunk lid is a combination of an 80s sedan and coupe. In December 1981 the project was finished. The first owner was Louis Krages aka John Winter. Today the car is in the Siku Museum .

Porsche 924 station wagon / Porsche 928 station wagon

Porsche 928 S Break

As with the Audi quattro station wagon, the Porsche models were also converted independently, although the rear window was not so noticeably large. The Porsche 924 station wagon was built 20 times.

Cordett

The Cordett is a car that is basically the same as the Artz Golf 928. This time, the stretched body of an Opel Kadett E GSi was put over the technical base of a Chevrolet Corvette C4. However, the Cordett never achieved the same level of fame as the VW Golf 928.

Lotus Calibra

Similar to the Golf 928 and Cordett, the last major project was a stretched and widened body of an Opel Calibra on the technical basis of a Lotus Omega. Here we have succeeded in best maintaining the proportions of the new body compared to the original vehicle. It was also the most expensive conversion in terms of cost.

Mercedes 500 TE

The conversion took place by providing a W124-036 sedan with a station wagon rear. Unlike the normal series W124, the 500 model - recognizable by the strongly flared fenders - was manufactured by Porsche. Only 2 pieces were built. The racing driver Louis Krages drove a vehicle, the track of the car is then lost, this car is said to have been destroyed in an accident. Günter Artz used the second car as a private car until 2008.

VW Golf 928

At the Nordstadt dealership on September 22, 1979

The VW Golf 928 was probably the best-known conversion by Artz. It is a Golf with the V8 engine and the technology of the Porsche 928 or a Porsche 928 with a VW Golf body . This vehicle has been completely redesigned in principle.

At first glance, the vehicle looks like a normal VW Golf I. Only at second glance does it become apparent that the body has been widened and also lengthened by 30 cm. On further tuning measures such as B. Spoiler was deliberately omitted. The look was also not adapted to the Golf GTI, but to the Golf GL.

So you could hardly see the 177 kW (240 hp) from a V8 engine with a displacement of 4.5 liters. The only thing that had to be taken over from the outside for technical reasons were the rims and tires of the Porsche 928. Only two VW Golf 928s were made and, as with the "Nordstadt Beetle", they were adapted to the current models. One of the two Golfs has the "normal" Porsche 928 engine, the other the engine from the Porsche 928 S.

VW Golf Speedster

The Golf Speedster is a Golf 1 convertible in which the entire roof line is approx. 10 cm lower than in the series. This required a special front window as well as modified side windows and a specially developed convertible top. 6 vehicles were built, 2 of which are still known today. One of these had a 51 kW engine (70 PS), two had a Schrick turbo engine and the remaining three each had an 81 kW GLI engine (110 PS / MKB EG). Except for one (the number 2), all vehicles were built on the basis of new vehicles. A year-old car was converted for the number 2.

VW Jetta convertible

The VW Jetta Cabrio was based on the convertible of the VW Golf I. It is therefore, as with the basic models, a Golf with an attached trunk. According to the various sources, 2 to 14 pieces were built, although the bowless red copy was only built once.

VW Beetle Carrera

The Carrera Beetle was built on the floor pan of the Porsche 914/6 [chassis number 9142430207]. A six-cylinder boxer engine from the Porsche 911 2.7 RS with 154 kW (210 hp) was installed as a mid-engine. The engine found space instead of the rear seat bench. There is a second small trunk where the engine was normally installed in the VW Beetle . The beetle is now known in specialist circles as the Nordstadt beetle.

VW Beetle Carrera

Artz beetle

This vehicle was built in the mid-1980s by Günter Artz on behalf of the independent Porsche workshop for Josef Wahl. At the time, Günter Artz was the owner of the Opel Blitz dealership. This second Artz Beetle on a 914 basis is hardly known, as it never really saw the light of day. Shortly before his death, in 2000, Josef Wahl sold the incomplete car. This 914/6 Beetle was then converted to modern water-cooled technology, in line with Günter Artz's idea. And again the car was not finished and stood around for over 10 years.

It has only been suitable for everyday use since 2018 with a 997 engine, 325 hp, Boxster-S 6-speed transmission and many contemporary extras, such as air conditioning, central locking, power steering and electric window regulators.

VW Scirocco pick-up

The Scirocco pick-up was a version of the VW Scirocco I that was equipped with a loading area.

VW Sciwago

The Sciwago was a play on words from “Scirocco” and “Station Wagon”. The VW Sciwago was a station wagon version of the VW Scirocco I. According to Günter Artz, 52 copies of the Sciwago were made. There are still 7 existing copies known. The Sciwago later served the VW Group as a template for the hatchback Polo 86C .

Technical data and measured values

The following technical data and measured values ​​come from various tests carried out by the specialist magazine Auto, Motor und Sport :

Audi 200 station wagon Cordette Porsche 924 station wagon VW Golf 928 S. VW Golf Speedster VW Beetle Carrera
cylinder 5 8th 4th 8th 4th 6th
Displacement 2144 cm 3 5733 cm 3 1984 cm 3 4608 cm 3 1457 cm 3 2687 cm 3
power 125 kW (170 hp) 225 kW (306 hp) 125 kW (170 hp) 220 kW (300 PS) 51 kW (70 hp) 147 kW (210 hp)
Empty weight 1310 kg 1550 kg 1305 kg 1590 kg 922 kg 1170 kg
Acceleration 0-100 km / h 8.5 s 6.5 s 7.3 s 6.6 s 14.3 s 7.2 s
Top speed 202 km / h 245 km / h 215 km / h 225 km / h 157 km / h 221 km / h
Consumption / 100 km - 21.0 l - - 10.8 l -
Factory price 53,270 DM (1981) 200,000 DM (1989) 62,780 DM (1981) 150,000 DM (1981) 32,660 DM (1981) 120,000 DM (1981)

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Wolfgang Blaube: The stealth bomber. ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) DAZ24 - Auto Mobiles - Träume Wagen, 04/2010 from April 1, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b The whole truth about the Nordstadt beetle. Volkswagen Classic. Magazine # 5.
  3. ^ Boschen / Barth: The big book of Porsche special types and constructions . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-87943-805-6 .
  4. ↑ a b The greatest cars in Germany. In: Auto, Motor und Sport. October 1981. ( Memento from November 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Corsa conversions by Opel Blitz (Artz).
  6. ↑ Press reports: Cars built by Artz that were used for advertising (Autohaus Nordstadt). ( Memento from April 29, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ Further information and pictures e.g. B. here . Retrieved September 25, 2018.

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