1952 Veritas Meteor Avus Stromlinie

In 1953 driver Hans Klenk reached 122 mph (196.6 kph) in this imposing coupe. The design is not far off the streamlined Mercedes-Benz and Auto Unions which ran the 1937 Grand Prix at Avus. Like all Veritas, it was based off a highly modified BMW 328.

In recent times, Auto-Salon-Singden AG sold the Veritas Avus Stromlinie to the Prototyp Musuem in Hamburg for inclusion into their permanent collection. Below is a rough translation of their description:

Auto-Salon-Singden Translation

The early Veritas cars were based exclusively on the BMW 328, and engineer Ernst Heinkel modified them for the immediate postwar period. Within only four weeks he completed the Veritas Meteor and it became one of the most successful monopostos of the period.

These conversions were very quickly extended to sports cars with full aluminum bodies. These drew attention for their ultralight construction, reliability and road handling. Many of these attributes were inherent with the original BMW design by Ernst Loof.

One of the most exciting Veritas was also one of the last produced by the company. It was designed particularly for the well-known running driver and publisher Paul Pietsch on the basis of a Veritas meteor. It was a one-of Avus Stromlinie designed for outright top speed.

The vehicle of a Heinkel engine with roll-stored, screwed Hirth crankshaft, a fine-mechanical masterpiece is propelled. The valves are sodium-filled to the better heat dissipation; the power transmission is made by 5-speed transmission. A meteor racing car with this specification reached a round means of 196,6 km/h on the circuit of Avus near Berlin.

After an eventful history this Veritas vehicle some years ago of in the scene as “Veritas Papst” admitted Bruno Kuehnis in Switzerland completely restored, probably one of the only specialists that know there was around the BMW engine.

The car is fully operational in its original state, which is also documented by FIA papers. Like the Monoposto, the chassis can drive itself and be converted into a Meteor with a simple body swap.