Champion (German car brand)

champion
owner	Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG Hermann Holbein vehicle construction Champion-Automobilbau GmbH Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG Rhenish automobile factory, Henning Thorndal
Introductory year	1946
Products	Automobiles
Markets	worldwide

Emblem from Hermann Holbein vehicle construction

later emblem

slightly different emblem

Emblem of the Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik

Champion was a German car brand. The small cars offered as champions were produced one after the other by different manufacturers at different locations from 1949 to 1954.

Brand history

Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG

→ Main article : ZF Friedrichshafen

The company from Friedrichshafen worked in 1946 on the development of a miniature car under the direction of chief engineer Albert Maier. After the production of three or five prototypes, everything was handed over to Hermann Holbein.

Hermann Holbein vehicle construction

→ Main article : Hermann Holbein vehicle construction

The racing driver Hermann Holbein took over the development of a miniature car from Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG . Series production began in Herrlingen in November 1949 and ended in November 1950.

Champion-Automobilbau GmbH

→ Main article : Champion automobile manufacturing

Founded by Benteler International AG and Hermann-Holbein-Fahrzeugbau , this company produced from December 1950 to October 1952 in Paderborn .

Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG

→ Main article : Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co.

This company from Ludwigshafen am Rhein took over the production facilities and manufactured automobiles between December 1952 and November 1953.

Rhenish automobile factory, Henning Thorndal

→ Main article : Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Henning Thorndal

Henning Thorndal produced at the same location between mid-1954 and November 1954.

The end of the brand name Champion

Maico from Pfäffingen took over all rights, assembly equipment, tools and warehouse supplies in June 1955 for around 300,000 marks and continued production under its own brand name Maico until 1958.

Models

model	construction time	cylinder	Cubic capacity cm³	horsepower	Manufacturer	construction	image
ZF Champion	1946	1	196	5	Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG	open two-seater
Champion Ch-1	1949	1	198	5	Hermann Holbein vehicle construction	open two-seater
Champion Ch-2	1949-1950	1	248	6.5	Hermann Holbein vehicle construction	open two-seater
Champion 250	1950-1951	1	248	6.5	Hermann-Holbein-Fahrzeugbau and Champion-Automobilbau GmbH	open two-seater
Champion 250 S	1950-1951	1	248	10	Hermann-Holbein-Fahrzeugbau and Champion-Automobilbau GmbH	open two-seater
Champion 400 (pre-series)	1950	1	396	11	Hermann Holbein vehicle construction	Convertible sedan
Champion 400	1951-1953	2	398	14th	Champion-Automobilbau GmbH and Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG	Convertible sedan
Champion 400 H	1953-1954	2	396	15th	Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG and Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Henning Thorndal	Convertible sedan
Champion 500 G	1953-1955	2	452	18th	Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG and Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Henning Thorndal	Station wagon

Registration numbers in Germany

In 1950 106 vehicles were registered in Germany. In the three following years the numbers were 890, 1271 and 1685. For 1954 only 428 new registrations have survived.

literature

• Hanns Peter Rosellen : German small car. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1991, ISBN 3-89350-040-5 .
• Hansjörg Dach: Champion - a legend. An idea 50 years ago (= On the history of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Volume 5). ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen 1997.

Web links

Commons : Champion  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hans Christoph von Seherr-Thoss : The German automobile industry. Documentation from 1886 until today . Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1974, ISBN 3-421-02284-4 , p. 492 .

Champion models timeline
Type	Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG			Hermann Holbein vehicle construction			Rheinische Automobil-Fabrik, Hennhöfer & Co. OHG		Rhenish automobile factory, Henning Thorndal
					Champion-Automobilbau GmbH
	1940s				1950s
	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th
Roadster	ZF Champion			Ch-1
				Ch-2
					250
					250 p
					250
					250 p
Convertible sedan					400 (pre-series)		400
						400		400 H.	400 H.
Station wagon								500 G	500 G