Hanomag 1.3 Liter Saloon- 1939

This German company was producing cars as early as the 1920s but they struggled financially through that decade. In 1931, Hanomag had 25% of the small-car market in Germany, trailed by DKW (19%) and BMW (17%). The following year they gambled on concentrating on a single series–the 1.1 Liter (later re-named Garant). The gamble worked, and soon it was necessary to run the plant two-shifts to meet the demand. By 1936, Hanomag would celebrate building 65,000 cars. The Hanomag you see here was introduced in 1939 as a modern, streamlined, economical middle-class family car. It was built for one year and never received a “real” name but was always referred to as the “1.3 Liter.” By 1940 Hanomag turned to war production and began producing 4.2 liter, 6 cylinder Maybach engines for military vehicles. The 1.3 Liter would be Hanomag’s last production car.