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Auto-Union Project: 1935 Maier Leichtbau

Frederich Maier, a mechanical engineer who had worked to the German aircraft manufacturer, Junkers, was one of many people who responded to Adolf Hitler’s call to build ‘the people’s car’ at the 1933 Berlin Auto Show. Maier already had a few automotive patents to his name for such modern features as adjustable height seats and the self-supporting all steel body shell. He set about building a modern steel car in his modest workshop in Berlin. The car had a number of cutting edge features including a central headlight that pivoted as you turned the wheel and a rear mounted engine. He used a trusty DKW two cylinder, two stroke engine of 692ccs. The car was named the Maier lightweight sedan and may have been exhibited at the 1934 or 35 Berlin Auto Show, but he did not get a contract to build the car and it never entered series production.