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Tad Burness
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1933 Rohr

One Of The Very Few Survivors From This High-Quality Line

The Rohr automobile is extremely rare. Even back in the 1970s, less than a half-dozen of them had been rescued by collectors or museums. Obviously, these, like many fine European cars, were annihilated in the ravages of World War II — lost in bombings, fires or scrapped for the value of their steel.

Fortunately, one of the few surviving Rohrs is this very attractive 1933 F-Type sport cabriolet, obviously a luxury car, judging by its fine design.

The manufacturer also built a one-of-a-kind classic for a 1933 German automobile show: a radically streamlined fastback four-door pillarless hardtop (22 years before this style was revived in the U.S.). Its sloping grille was different from the one on the car seen here. It, too, has been preserved by an admiring owner, and was purchased years ago by Edgar E. Rohr (the past president of the Antique Automobile Club of America, but not related to Hans Rohr, founder of the automobile company). (See the September/October AACA magazine for information and pictures).

Hans left his automobile company while it was still functioning (as did Ransom E. Olds, Harry C. Stutz, Robert C. Hupp, Henry A. Lozier and Billy Durant, who founded General Motors and left the organization twice, to eventually found Durant Motors and then leave it as well). The first four men mentioned in this paragraph went on to establish new automobile companies named for their initials: REO, H.C.S., RCH and H.A.L.

Are there other Rohr automobiles still remaining, but not yet discovered? That's quite possible, and car collectors are fanning out around the globe in search of hidden automotive treasures — cars, as well as books, catalogs and artifacts.