Beetle forerunner rebuild challenge

Visitors to Rematec 2017 will be able to take part in a project to remanufacture the 1930s automobile which was the forerunner of the ubiquitous Volkswagen Beetle. Through crowdfunding, Paul Schilperoord hopes to rebuild the Standard Superior type I designed by Jewish engineer Josef Ganz. Around 250 were built in 1933, and the model was presented to Adolf Hitler at that year’s Berlin motor show. The vehicle that will be displayed at the Amsterdam show was kept on the road in the former East Germany for decades – but its bodywork has been modified using Trabant parts. With the help of professional restorers, Schilperoord plans to reman the original wooden bodywork and use the car to promote the work of the forgotten Ganz. He hopes to unveil the finished vehicle next year.