Dürkopp type P 16

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Dürkopp

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Type P 16
Sales designation: also
Dürkopp
16/45 HP
Production period: 1917-1922
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Touring car , limousine , landaulet
Engines: Otto engines :
4.2 liters
(33 kW)
Length: 4700 mm
Width: 1700 mm
Height: 2200 mm
Wheelbase : 3482 mm
Empty weight : 1500-1800 kg
Previous model Dürkopp type DG 18
(18/45 HP)
successor (see text)

The Dürkopp Type P 16 , also Dürkopp 16/45 HP , was a luxury class passenger car that was built from 1917 to 1922. The manufacturer was Dürkoppwerke AG , which had its headquarters in Bielefeld , Westphalia and at that time also had an automobile construction department at the branch in Berlin-Reinickendorf .

The Dürkopp type P 16 had a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 4.2 liters . After an interruption due to the First World War, it replaced the Dürkopp type DG passenger car models . At the same time, he expanded the Type P series , which was introduced in 1914 with the Dürkopp Type P 10 (10/30 hp) and was supplemented by six more models until the car production was discontinued in 1927. In 1919 the type P 16 formed the basis for the even larger six-cylinder model Dürkopp type P 24 (24/70 hp); both were replaced in 1923 by the smaller six-cylinder model Dürkopp Type P 12 (12/45 hp) with "only" a good 3.1 liter displacement.

backgrounds

The listed company building at Nikolaus-Dürkopp-Straße 2 in Bielefeld

The Dürkopp & Co. AG in Bielefeld already built from 1897 automobiles. Thirty years earlier, the founder Nikolaus Dürkopp (1842–1918) had founded the company as a workshop for the repair and manufacture of sewing machines . With this, as well as with the production of bicycles from 1883 and stationary gas engines from 1886, the factory experienced a rapid boom, which brought Nikolaus Dürkopp great wealth.

From 1899 to 1908 the company was called Bielefelder Maschinenfabrik , then Dürkoppwerke AG . Passenger car production always remained a subordinate division, which was not very profitable due to the high proportion of manual labor and small quantities and had to be supported for a long time with profits from other divisions. On the other hand, the motor vehicles contributed significantly to the good brand reputation. During this phase, motorsport successes also fell, such as two second places in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1911 and 1912. In the search for ever higher engine performance , curiosities such as the Dürkopp type DG 40 (40/100 hp) from 1912 to 1914, a four-cylinder with it, were created 13.0 liter displacement.

In 1908 Dürkopp leased the manufacturing facility of Oryx Motorwerke AG in Berlin-Reinickendorf, which the company acquired in full in 1911. After the First World War, from 1920 at the latest that were there Dürkopp - trucks and large Dürkopp manufactures passenger coaches. At times the company employed 1,500 of a total of 6,000 employees in the automotive industry.

The model history

A smaller Dürkopp 8/18 HP from the time before the First World War, conceptually and stylistically quite similar to the type P 16 (16/45 HP)

The Dürkopp type P 16 (16/45 hp) was presented in 1917, while the First World War was still in progress. However, the economic situation in the German Reich was bad due to the war and there was a shortage of materials. In this respect, it is doubtful whether the model was produced in any significant number by 1919. An approval blueprint for the then  regional president in Minden for the "P 16" of Dürkoppwerke AG in Bielefeld has been handed down for 1920 . It is unclear whether this is an indication that the actual (small) series production of this model only began in 1920; possibly the document is only the result of a change in (local) approval practice.

As a luxury class model, the P 16 followed the Dürkopp passenger cars of the large DG series . In terms of size and engine it corresponded roughly to the (smallest) type DG 18 (18/45 HP) , a four-cylinder with a displacement of 4.5 liters, which was manufactured from 1908 to 1913; As its successor, the significantly larger intermediate model type DG 25 (25/60 hp) was presented as early as 1912 , a four-cylinder with a capacity of 6.3 liters that was built until 1914.

When it was introduced in 1917, the P 16 was the top model. These included two smaller passenger car models with four-cylinder engines, on the one hand the type EK 6 (6/24 hp) with a displacement of 1.5 liters , which had been built since 1913, and on the other hand the type P 10 (10/30 HP) with a displacement of 2.6 liters . In the years that followed, Dürkopp expanded the P series to become the brand’s broad and unique range of passenger cars: With the same cylinder dimensions as the four-cylinder P 16 , the new top model was the six-cylinder P 24 (24/70 hp) with a good 6, 2 liters displacement and another 25 centimeters more length. At the same time, the relatively successful four-cylinder type P 8 (8/24 hp) with a displacement of 2.1 liters appeared below the type P 10 and as a replacement for the type EK 6, which was discontinued in 1920 .

The type P 16 and the entire type P series still followed the endeavors of the company's founder Nikolaus Dürkopp to “bring out the most solid and durable quality automobiles for everyday use.” In fact, the Dürkopp passenger cars of this era enjoyed “a good brand reputation”, but the bigger ones got it Models only for small, hardly cost-covering series. After the founder's death, the company phased out the three larger models, type P 10 , P 16 and P 24, in 1922. They were replaced in 1923 by the six-cylinder type P 12 (12/45 hp) with a displacement of 3.1 liters; it was manufactured until 1926 without reaching large numbers and thus covering costs.

During the production period, there was no further technical development of the type P 16 (16/45 hp) . More detailed production figures are not known. Based on the response in the media and the production numbers of competing models, only double-digit numbers can be assumed. Presumably - if at all - only a few examples of this upper class model have survived to this day. Only one single vehicle (built in 1917) is known from more recent times; With a limousine body and light gray paintwork with darker, contrasting fenders, it was in the Nettelstedt Automobile Museum in Lübbecke, East Westphalia .

The existence of this model is strongly decimated, among other things, that the Wehrmacht requisitioned the Dürkopp type P 16 - like all models of the type P series - in the Second World War .

Mention of the vehicle model in contemporary foreign language publications remained rare. Already around 1907 Dürkopp had given up his initially extensive international activities, including a cooperation with a French company in Courbevoie on the Seine near Paris (automobiles of the Canello-Dürkopp brand ) and the sale of vehicles in the United Kingdom (automobiles under the Watsonia brand ). The cooperation with the Belgian manufacturer Automobiles Dasse from Verviers (automobiles from the Dürkopp-Dasse brand ) and the import of electric cars from the French manufacturer Compagnie Française des Voitures Électromobiles from Paris (automobiles from the Cardinet brand ) had also been abandoned . With the First World War, sensational expedition trips with Dürkopp automobiles were also discontinued, during which Africa and Central America were explored with international resonance . With the end of the First World War, Germany and Dürkopp were largely isolated as automobile manufacturers internationally.

The model name

The model designation "16/45 PS" refers - as was widespread back then - to the performance. The specification "16 HP" stands for the tax horsepower , the specification "45 HP" for the actual engine power in horsepower .

The model designation "Type P 16" also includes the specification of the tax horsepower. The exact meaning of the "P" is not entirely clear. It probably simply stands for "passenger (-kraft-) wagen" after Dürkopp decided to only offer the type P series with several different models instead of several passenger car series . This is also supported by the fact that the Dürkopp trucks were uniformly given the abbreviation "L".

The Dürkopp type P series was created between 1914 and 1927 in a total of eight versions. It replaced the "large" series type DG as well as the smaller models such as type KW , NG and EK . In addition to the previously mentioned P-type models , three other four-cylinder models were also built:

  • the type P 8 A (8/32 HP) with 2.1 liter displacement (1924 to 1927),
  • the type P 8 B sports car with a compressor - charged vertical shaft engine, 2.0 liters displacement and up to 60 hp (44 kW) (1925 to 1927) and
  • the type P 8 C (8/40 PS) with a different, longer-stroke 2.1-liter engine (only 1926).

The key people behind the Dürkopp Type P 16

Nikolaus Dürkopp

The last residence of the company founder, Villa Dürkopp in Bad Salzuflen
The tomb of Nikolaus (contemporary: Nicolaus) Dürkopp

The company's founder Nikolaus Dürkopp had a decisive influence on the development and construction of the P 16 (16/45 hp) passenger car from 1917. He brought his knowledge as a trained locksmith and his practical experience from previous activities with precision mechanics , watchmakers and sewing machine production.

As early as 1894 he had made a first attempt, which at the time had failed, to integrate an automotive department into the company; The first successes were not evident until around 1898, at great financial expense. For the period after the First World War, too, he decided to only manufacture the large Dürkopp passenger cars as individual items to order. Its basic principles included the highest quality and the fulfillment of special customer requests. He rejected assembly line production in the automotive sector, even though it gave him significant cost advantages over his competitors in other corporate divisions. His enthusiasm for automobiles went so far that he gave up his large riding stable to develop them; Nikolaus Dürkopp has been involved in car planning and development right up to the end, and in particular personally undertook test drives with the new cars from his company.

More people

Other people who were involved in the development and construction of the Dürkopp Type P 16 can be named:

  • Paul Dürkopp, son of Nikolaus Dürkopp from his first marriage, who took over the company management after the death of his father in 1918,
  • Gustav Möllenberg as general director of the company as well
  • the engineer Erich Küchen as Nikolaus Dürkopp's personal assistant and close friend of Paul Dürkopp - the engineer Richard Küchen later became famous from his family environment .

On the other hand, other designers who worked for Dürkopp during the production of the upper-class model but were entrusted with other projects remained without any significant direct influence on the P 16 . These include, for example, the engineers Nikolaus Henzel and Kurt C. Volkhart, who was also a successful racing driver . The former had already worked for Oryx and joined Dürkopp in 1919 , but was primarily concerned with the development of the P 8 (8/24 hp) for the lower middle class and that of a motorcycle model. Together with Volkhart, he was also responsible for the development of the Dürkopp Type P 8 B sports car with OHC valve control , drive of the camshaft by vertical shaft and compressor charging, with which the racing driver Hans Stuck celebrated his first motorsport successes from 1925 .

The technology

In the development and production of the Dürkopp type P 16 (16/45 hp) , the company drew on the experience and knowledge gained from building the previous type DG passenger cars and small to medium-sized trucks. In particular, the solid chassis and the new large-volume four-cylinder engine showed a structural similarity to these vehicles. Because of the overall economic circumstances and the time-consuming, expensive manual labor, only a few P 16s were made to order .

The chassis

The separate chassis and the chassis of the Dürkopp type P 16 were conventional for the time. The foot brake acted purely mechanically on the cardan shaft alone , a solution that was still common at the time; The model, however, dispensed with service brakes on the front or rear wheels. The factory had artillery wheels with wooden spokes (with ten spokes at the front and twelve spokes at the rear) and high-pressure balloon tires measuring 880 × 125. A factory drawing from 1918, which presumably shows a type P 16 as a touring car, shows different wire- spoke wheels . The wheelbase was 3482 mm, the track width front and rear uniformly 1,400 millimeters.

The drive

The Dürkopp type P 16 had a water-cooled four - cylinder in- line engine with side-mounted valves ( SV valve control ). With a cylinder bore of 101 millimeters and a piston stroke of 130 millimeters, the displacement was given as 4164 cubic centimeters (arithmetically actually 4166 cubic centimeters). The engine developed 45 hp (33  kW ) at a typical moderate 2000 revolutions per minute. The mixture was formed by a Zenith carburettor , a magneto ignition ignited the compressed fuel-air mixture in the cylinder. The power was transmitted via a manual four-speed gearbox , as was customary for all Dürkopp passenger car models from 1913 onwards. The gearshift lever was on the inside right next to the driver's seat on the right, as was still common at the time. Since it interfered with entry there, a door in the front right was regularly dispensed with; the driver got on from the front left. A cardan shaft drove the rear wheels . The upper class model achieved a top speed of only 80 kilometers per hour due to a relatively “short” gear ratio. The fuel consumption was 20 liters per 100 kilometers.

The body

The Dürkopp type P 16 was available with different bodies according to the wishes and ideas of the buyers. Typical for the time was the fashionable, particularly pronounced pointed cooler (the right and left sides of the vertical cooler were particularly inclined to one another). Some vehicles have a conventional, nickel-plated radiator, while others are painted in the same color as the vehicle . Individual bodies may have come from external body builders; In particular, a business relationship between Dürkopp and the Karmann body shop in Osnabrück is known .

The simplest and lightest version was an open three-door touring car with six seats; so the empty weight was a comparatively low 1500 kilograms. With sedan and landaulet bodies, the vehicles weighed up to 1,800 kilograms unladen, depending on their equipment and because of their unusually high height. The length of the model is given as 4700 millimeters, but could vary depending on the structure; the width was 1700 millimeters. The height is given as an enormous 2200 millimeters, which apparently refers to the closed design.

In the case of the standard bodies, the bonnet provides a reference point for determining the vehicle model: Type P 16 often has seven ventilation slots on each side, the smaller four-cylinder type P 10 (10/30 hp) six, the larger six-cylinder type P 24 (24/70 hp) eight slots.

data sheet

model Dürkopp Type P 16 (16/45 HP)
construction time 1917-1922
Superstructures Touring cars, limousines, landaulets,
mostly 3-door and 6-seater
engine 4-cylinder inline (4-stroke)
Valves standing sideways (SV)
Bore × stroke 101 mm × 130 mm
Displacement 4164 cc
power 45 hp (33 kW) at 2000 rpm
transmission 4-speed
circuit right inside
Foot brake mechanically on cardan shaft
Top speed 80 km / h
consumption 20 liters / 100 km
Empty weight 1500–1800 kg (depending on the structure)
length 4700 mm (varies depending on the structure)
width 1700 mm
height 2200 mm (closed; touring cars lower)
wheelbase 3482 mm
Front / rear track 1400 mm
wheel size 880 × 125 letterpress

Automotive historical significance of the Dürkopp type P 16 and its competitors

In 1917, the P 16 was the last new passenger car model that was presented while the company's founder Nikolaus Dürkopp was still alive. It was the second model of Dürkopp -Personenwagenbaureihe type P , which until the end of Dürkopp six more models -Pkw production should follow 1927th Together with the competing upper-class model Dux Type S (17/50 hp), it was one of the first new passenger car models in Germany for the post-war period. When production ended in 1922, the P 16 was the last Dürkopp upper-class model with a large-volume four-cylinder engine and, together with the P 24 six-cylinder model (24/70 hp), it was the brand's last upper-class model.

In terms of sales and maintenance, Dürkopp was primarily focused on Westphalia , the Ruhr area and southern Lower Saxony , and via the branch in Berlin-Reinickendorf also on Berlin and Brandenburg .

There, the Dürkopp type P 16 competed with the somewhat smaller upper-class models Mercedes 16/45 PS with slide engine , the Benz 18/45 PS and from 1921 the phenomenon 16/45 PS . The Dux Type S , the Elite E 18 , the Hansa-Lloyd Treff-Aß and from 1922 the Adler 18/60 hp were more powerful or somewhat larger . Of these, Hansa-Lloyd alone had a significantly longer wheelbase. At 101 millimeters, the cylinder bore of the P 16 exceeded that of most of its competitors; only that of Hansa-Lloyd in the version from 1923 to 1925 was even larger at 105 millimeters. The Dürkopp shared a piston stroke of “only” 130 millimeters with the Mercedes and Hansa-Lloyd , while the competitors had some 10 and some 20 millimeters more.

Due to the economic development in the German Reich up to the beginning of the 1920s, the decision of the Dürkopp brand to only build the large P series models to order was fundamentally correct. Nevertheless, they remained a loss-making business for a long time, which in the end had to be compensated for with profits from sewing machine and bicycle production. After another five years, Dürkopp gave up the production of passenger cars in 1927, and two years later that of trucks.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos, Volume 2, 1920-1945 . 2nd Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 978-3-613-02170-9 , pp. 104-106 (p. 104: company history and two images of a Dürkopp type P 8 ; p. 105: technical data including the type P 16 ; p 106: four illustrations, including a type P 16 touring car).
  2. ^ Auction announcement of an auction house from 2014 for the official document from 1920 , accessed on July 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Postcard of a Dürkopp type P 16 (16/45 HP) from the year of construction 1917, last exhibited in the Automuseum Nettelstedt , on the web portal Sichtskarten-center.de , accessed on August 1, 2017.
  4. ↑ a b Overview of the Dürkopp motor vehicle models requisitioned and used by the Wehrmacht on the Wehrmacht Kfz web portal , accessed on July 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ For example: Automotive Industries (magazine), Volume 48, Chilton Company 1923, p. 400 (as Duerkopp P16 ) (English).
  6. ^ Gustav Goldbeck:  Dürkopp, Nikolaus. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 172 ( digitized version ).
  7. ↑ Jürgen Bönig: The introduction of assembly line work in Germany by 1933 . LIT Verlag, Münster 1993, Volume 1, ISBN 3-89473-111-7 , p. 514.
  8. ↑ Werner Oswald: Deutsche Autos, Volume 2, 1920-1945 . 2nd Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 978-3-613-02170-9 , pp. 10, 51, 107, 109, 145, 211 and 335.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Other alternative model names and spellings are P16 and 16 / 45PS (each without spaces) and the addition of type is not used .