Denzel (automobile)

About Denzel (automobile)

The Denzel automobile was an early competitor to Porsche in Vienna, Austria beginning in 1948. Wolfgang Denzel was born in Graz, Austria in 1908. He raced motorcycles and cars both before and after World War Two . In 1948, with his friend Hubert Stroinigg, he built his first car, which was based on a chassis and air-cooled engine from a Volkswagen Kubelwagen. The lightweight body was built from resin and textile fibres. The car, at that time referred to as "the Volkswagen WD Equipment" finished first in the 1100cc class in the 1949 Austrian Alpine rally. Five further cars followed, before production of the Series III version began in 1952. By this time, the chassis was made by the Denzel company. Throughout the 1950s, the cars achieved limited race success on the track, with future Formula 1 stars Dan Gurney and Richie Ginther among the drivers in 1957. However, Denzel had achieved worldwide publicity with his win of the 1954 Alpine Rally.