1968 SWM Gordini

The SWM Gordini Racecar

Is there no end to the list of racecar manufacturers of the 20th century? Let’s have a show of hands. How many know anything about German builder SWM? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? SWM was formed by brothers Stefan and Wenzel Mannl (SWM) of Munich, Germany, in the early 1960s. Starting from a gas/service station in their home town, the brothers were ultimately driven to manufacture their own competition cars.

The first SWM was a coupe constructed on a one-off, tubeframe chassis in 1963. The body was formed from fiberglass by Wenzel, who was a skilled carpenter, and the running gear was sourced from a BMW 700. According to the Mannl family, this car was undefeated in its class in 1963 and 1964 with Stefan behind the wheel. In addition to his skill as a driver, Stefan was a talented mechanic.

Inspired by their early success, the brothers built their first Spider in 1964, in just 250 hours. By 1965, four SWM Spiders were being raced by a newly formed SWM Racing Club with drivers Stefan and Wenzel Mannl, Karl-Heinz Reimann, Dr. Richard Lichtenberg, Kurt Krusche and Karl Hurler.

To the best knowledge available, a total of seven cars left the SWM factory, with the first six built on custom chassis with BMW 700 running gear. The seventh and last SWM was different. This one was specifically designed with serial production in mind, utilizing a Renault platform and a Gordini engine. Unfortunately, as quickly as this exciting project began it was over with just one example completed. As the story goes, the brothers needed a bank loan to expand their automotive service and sales business. In order to qualify for the loan, the bank demanded that Stefan and Wenzel stop building, selling and racing their SWM sports cars. With this economic reality before them, the brothers immediately ceased SWM operations, received the bank loan and expanded their non-racing automotive enterprises.

This month’s Hidden Treasure is the seventh and final car built, the SWM Gordini. According to the Mannl family, the inspiration for the final automobile was the Ford GT40. The Mannls built the car on an unmodified Renault R8 unibody platform because they believed that this would facilitate a production run. The two-door coupe body was low (40.6 inches) and angular, sharing little with contemporary cars of its class. The other dimensions of the car were: length, 148 inches; width, 64 inches; wheelbase, 89.75 inches.

The brothers formed the body from wood and plaster to establish a general form. From there a polyester mold was prepared and the fiberglass body was produced. According to the current owner, the car was built with a four-cylinder Gordini 1300 engine with a crossflow cylinder head located behind the driver. Gearshifts were accomplished via a five-speed Renault Gordini 1135 gearbox. Suspension was independent front and rear, and disc brakes did the stopping at all four corners.

The SWM Gordini was acquired by Geoff Hacker of Tampa, Florida, in April of 2014. It wasn’t a car he was looking for, but that is hardly the point. Those who have been following Hacker’s frenzied activities at Forgotten Fiberglass (www.forgottenfiberglass.com) over the past decade know that interesting cars seem to find him. Hacker said, “At Forgotten Fiberglass we find, research, restore, show, and sell lost automotive treasures. And when we learned about the SWM Gordini, I instantly felt this was an important piece to add to our collection.”

Hacker is an extraordinarily talented researcher and has assembled an impressive file on the SWM since he acquired it. He has been in contact with Christian Mannl, Stefan’s son, and conducted a recorded telephone interview with him on June 8, 2017. Hacker said, “Based on my recent conversation with Christian Mannl and other research I can offer the following. In the late 1960s, an American GI stationed in Germany bought the SWM Gordini from the Mannl Brothers and brought the car back when he returned to his home in El Paso, Texas. Since that time, the car had been in storage until I purchased it in 2014. The amazing part of the story is that the young GI was Joseph Jancsek and he loved the car so much he had it all those years. I was honored that after his passing the family trusted me with his treasure and allowed me to become the car’s next custodian. Another interesting tidbit is that it seems that many parts were taken off the car, in the late ’60s, to prepare it for shipment to the U.S. When I received the car at my shop in Tampa, all of the parts remained untouched, still wrapped in 1960s German newspaper.”

Hacker continued, “To the best knowledge available, the SWM Gordini is the only surviving SWM automobile. Another car was shown in Germany a few years ago, but the Mannl family has stated that this other car is not one they built and is in no way related to SWM.”

When Hacker received the SWM he said it was missing its original 1300 Gordini engine and five-speed gearbox. He has since sourced a replacement for both, which are now being prepped for installation. Hacker said, “The styling and mechanicals of the SWM Gordini make for a thoroughly compelling package and this car represents the only surviving example of the Mannl Brother’s work. I love looking at this car; it is simply phenomenal from every angle, but I can’t wait to finish the refurbishment and rev that Gordini engine up on a long winding road.”