The Hebmüller company
The compnay was founded by Joseph Hebmüller wich was born in 1865.
He was a cartwright craftsman and came to the city of Wuppertal-Barmen in 1888 on the look for work.
His third job there ended by the bankruptcy of the little company he worked at and he wondered how it may go on.
Coincidental he just had got his inheritance of 600 silvercoins and so he dared to start his own business.
That happened at oktober 15th in 1889. Just one month later he married his wife Elisabeth.
The young company builded successful horse-drawn carriages and coaches and grew fast.
The Hebmüllers had four sons that all grew up in the workshop.
Joseph junior learned cartwright, Emil became a coach forger, Paul learned in the commercial and trading division and
Erich became a coachbuild saddler. This new generation was fascinated by the automobile and open minded to this
new area of coachbuilding. In 1919 Joseph Hebmüller senior died
and the two older sons Joseph and Emil kept the company running.
The 1920s and 1930s brought big success and expansion of the company.
Along with body constructions of commercial vehicles they made car bodys of all kinds. Lots where very beautiful
coupes and convertibles wich where as representable as like made by any other of the famous coachbuilding companies.
In between they produced in Wuppertal-Barmen and in two places in Wuppertal-Wülfrath.
Even before the war but mainly during the war there where produced several bodies for army vehicles at Hebmüller.
A little unusual episode where the production of wooden fake planes that where used
to feint foreign pilots during their attacks. The damages that happened at war to the factories in Barmen
and Wülfrath where repaired until 1946.
Soon after the war new orders kept the company busy. The first came from the british occupying forces.
They needed repairs and reconditionings at their cars and even some all new convertible bodies where made for them.
Making convertibles was a speciality of the company because they had developed a well working roof rods system.
A very welcome order came 1947 from the british controlled Wolfsburg. For the police where convertible conversions
of the Volkswagen needed. The sedans where totally rebuilded by Hebmüller and became service cars without real doors
and with a simple folding roof.
Inspired by the car of C.R. Radclyffe, the british military commander of Wolfsburg, the Hebmüllers got an idea
for a new body version of the Volkswagen. Radclyffe drove a Volkswagen that had been modificated to a convertible.
That was done in some cases before but that one showed very unusual lines. It was a two seater with a short roof
and without rear quarter windows that had a very special long engine hood.
1948 where made some prototypes and they got a shiny chrome package.
The leaders of the VW factory must have liked them. They had thought about adding a convertible to their sales line
anyway and they ordered 2000 of these beautiful two seaters wich should had been sold by the official VW dealers.
In 1949 the final shape with a remarkable long embossed area on the rear hood was found and the serial production started.
Then on July the 23. 1949 something tragical happened. A huge fire totally destroyed the
complete main factory in Wülfrath. That stopped any production immediately.
But from Wolfsburg they got pressure to fulfill the contracts and so they builded quickly some
simple constructed halls to get the production going on and started to rebuild the burned away
factory beside that.
Often people think the fire was the end of the Hebmüller company but that is wrong. The fire causes the end
but the production went on soon after it. By far the most VW Hebmüllers where made after the fire.
At the same time there where made for example nice DKW two seaters and some Veritas race cars.
In the year 1951 the rebuild of the burned areas was completed. Unfortunately it had caused very big costs
wich where not covered by the insurances. The company got into financial difficulties and in spite of a well filled
order book they got no more credits by the banks.
So the Hebmüller company was forced to declare bankruptcy in may 1952.
The order of 2000 VW Hebmüllers was not fulfilled. Just 696 where made.
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The Hebmüllers had four sons that all grew up in the workshop.
Joseph junior learned cartwright, Emil became a coach forger, Paul learned in the commercial and trading division and
Erich became a coachbuild saddler. This new generation was fascinated by the automobile and open minded to this
new area of coachbuilding. In 1919 Joseph Hebmüller senior died
and the two older sons Joseph and Emil kept the company running.
|
|
|
The 1920s and 1930s brought big success and expansion of the company.
Along with body constructions of commercial vehicles they made car bodys of all kinds. Lots where very beautiful
coupes and convertibles wich where as representable as like made by any other of the famous coachbuilding companies.
In between they produced in Wuppertal-Barmen and in two places in Wuppertal-Wülfrath.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even before the war but mainly during the war there where produced several bodies for army vehicles at Hebmüller.
A little unusual episode where the production of wooden fake planes that where used
to feint foreign pilots during their attacks. The damages that happened at war to the factories in Barmen
and Wülfrath where repaired until 1946.
Soon after the war new orders kept the company busy. The first came from the british occupying forces.
They needed repairs and reconditionings at their cars and even some all new convertible bodies where made for them.
Making convertibles was a speciality of the company because they had developed a well working roof rods system.
A very welcome order came 1947 from the british controlled Wolfsburg. For the police where convertible conversions
of the Volkswagen needed. The sedans where totally rebuilded by Hebmüller and became service cars without real doors
and with a simple folding roof.
|
|
|
Inspired by the car of C.R. Radclyffe, the british military commander of Wolfsburg, the Hebmüllers got an idea
for a new body version of the Volkswagen. Radclyffe drove a Volkswagen that had been modificated to a convertible.
That was done in some cases before but that one showed very unusual lines. It was a two seater with a short roof
and without rear quarter windows that had a very special long engine hood.
1948 where made some prototypes and they got a shiny chrome package.
|
|
|
The leaders of the VW factory must have liked them. They had thought about adding a convertible to their sales line
anyway and they ordered 2000 of these beautiful two seaters wich should had been sold by the official VW dealers.
In 1949 the final shape with a remarkable long embossed area on the rear hood was found and the serial production started.
|
|
|
Then on July the 23. 1949 something tragical happened. A huge fire totally destroyed the
complete main factory in Wülfrath. That stopped any production immediately.
But from Wolfsburg they got pressure to fulfill the contracts and so they builded quickly some
simple constructed halls to get the production going on and started to rebuild the burned away
factory beside that.
|
|
|
Often people think the fire was the end of the Hebmüller company but that is wrong. The fire causes the end
but the production went on soon after it. By far the most VW Hebmüllers where made after the fire.
At the same time there where made for example nice DKW two seaters and some Veritas race cars.
|
|
|
In the year 1951 the rebuild of the burned areas was completed. Unfortunately it had caused very big costs
wich where not covered by the insurances. The company got into financial difficulties and in spite of a well filled
order book they got no more credits by the banks.
So the Hebmüller company was forced to declare bankruptcy in may 1952.
The order of 2000 VW Hebmüllers was not fulfilled. Just 696 where made.
>