The history of the Hamburg car manufacturer Tempo-Werk begins in 1928. The three-wheeler Hanseat is particularly popular in the post-war period. A few vehicles are still on the road today.
by Jochen Lambernd
Kai-Uwe Wahl "tweaks" his Tempo Hanseat himself."We used to have one like that" or "Those were the days" is what Kai-Uwe Wahl often hears when the Hamburg driver causes a stir with his Tempo Hanseat on three wheels. He also enjoys irritating people with the comparatively young year of construction. Because the panel van with a one-cylinder diesel engine and 10 hp from a displacement of 454 cubic centimeters is from 1989. The reason why India plays a role in his explanations is due to the lively history of the car manufacturer Tempo-Werk, which began 90 years ago.
From coal dealer to car manufacturer
Originally, the company founders were active in the coal and fuel trade. Looking for a more promising industry, Max Vidal and his son Oscar struck gold in the growing three-wheeler van market. Background:Back then, vehicles with fewer than four wheels and a cubic capacity of less than 200 cubic centimeters were exempt from taxes and driving licences.
Production runs a bit "unsmoothly" at first
The car manufacturer Vidal &Sohn was founded in 1928 - later the addition Tempo-Werk was added. In the early days, production at the Vidals still "rumbled", and the first vehicles sometimes had serious defects. But when the clever and experienced designer Otto Daus joined in 1929, the young company really picked up speed. The company is initially based in the Wandsbek district for a few years and from 1934/1935 in Hamburg-Harburg on a larger site. The world's best-selling light truck comes from Tempo in the 1930s.
Many equipment variants possible
The Tempo vehicles all have front-wheel drive. So the buyers have a relatively free hand when choosing the equipment variants. In the course of its more than 40-year history, Tempo-Werk has manufactured a large number of special bodies. "Tempo builds to measure," they say. With the G1200 all-terrain vehicle, Tempo also produces a car that is also of interest to the military - even abroad.
Extra caution on three wheels
The Tempo cars are sporty on the road, but the driver should slow down before corners."For me, the special thing about Tempo is the fact that the vehicles come from Hamburg and are quite rare," says Kai-Uwe Wahl, explaining his interest in the classic cars. Like Wahl, Sven Thomsen is also involved in the Tempo Club Germany, founded in 1999, where Tempo fans can exchange information about the various vehicles and their special features. Thomsen has a piece of advice that every driver of such a tricycle should heed as early as the 1930s:"Be sure to take your foot off the gas before cornering!" Otherwise the car is in danger of tipping over and may end up in a ditch.
Sturdy cars help rebuild
Because spare parts are no longer available for the successor models either, the Club archive includes spare parts catalogues, workshop manuals, operating instructions and technical drawings. The aim of the club is also to keep the memory alive. The Hanseat was particularly in demand at the time. The cars are also considered "indestructible" and are retrospectively referred to as the engine of reconstruction after the Second World War. After the British issue the production permit, Vidal &Sohn is already producing vehicles again in 1945. However, the people of Hamburg only got on the road to success after the currency reform in 1948 and thanks to a European aid program that ensured that raw materials were delivered back to the Hanseatic city. The Tempo factory hires many new workers, production and demand both increase, so the production halls have to be expanded.
- The Tempo Club Germany
- The Tempo models
Versatile
In addition to the Hanseat (as a further development of the pre-war three-wheelers A200 and A400), the four-wheel Matador was also well received by customers. Well-known companies such as tire manufacturer Phoenix or mustard producer Kühne have Tempo cars in their fleets. The cars are also popular with small businesses or "flying dealers" as mobile sales stands. There are ambulances, tow trucks, street cleaners, fuel trucks and buses from Tempo - all based on the basic platforms. Families are happy about cars with camping equipment. Export is also booming. A total of 48 countries are on the order lists as customers. The Vidal &Sohn company is riding a wave of success.
"Tempo, tempo, the world screams, tempo, tempo, time is money. If you don't have a tempo car, the competition will beat you." Tempo-Werk company slogan
No chance against the big corporations
But the competition is fighting back. As early as 1952, Tempo had to look for another engine manufacturer for the Matador. Until then, VW will deliver the heart of the car, but does not want to continue to support the success of the Hamburg company. The new Wiking model brings some momentum for speed, but times are getting tougher for the private company. While the big resurgent automotive groups such as VW, Opel, Daimler and Ford are investing huge sums, development in Harburg is progressing cautiously. In order to secure the company with a partner, Oscar Vidal sold 50 percent to Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag) on February 1, 1955. This is probably also happening because the time of the once successful Hanseat has expired. Three wheels are no longer in demand. After more than 100,000 copies, sales in Germany were discontinued in 1956.
To Hanomag and to Rheinstahl
The collaboration with Hanomag worked well at first, but then the Hanoverians themselves got into trouble. In 1958, Rheinische Stahlwerke AG from Essen took over the majority of shares in Hanomag. A year later, Tempo and Hanomag go to the Rheinstahl Group. In 1965 Oscar Vidal sold his last shares in Rheinstahl. Within the Essen group, Tempo comes to Hanomag. The Tempo delivery van is further developed as the "Harburger Transporter". From 1966 the Tempo Matador also had the Rheinstahl-Hanomag emblem on the front. Until then, exactly 277,281 Tempo vehicles will be produced in Germany.
Today, Daimler resides at the Tempo location
The "Harburger Transporter" is based on the Tempo Matador - here with the star on the radiator grille.In 1969, the Tempo plant in Harburg became part of the new Hanomag-Henschel Fahrzeugwerke GmbH, which in turn was taken over by Daimler-Benz AG in 1971. Until 1977/1978 Mercedes builds the "Harburger Transporter" in Hamburg. As its successor, the T1 ("Bremer Transporter") is a "real" vehicle with the star.
The Daimler plant is now a high-tech location for drive components for electromobility. In addition, there are the traditional product fields, which range from axles and axle components to steering columns and lightweight structural parts to exhaust gas technology components. At least one product from the Harburg plant is installed in every Mercedes-Benz car.
Hanseat will be built in India for another 38 years
Even if the Tempo brand is no longer used in Germany, it still lives on:the Bajaj-Tempo company in India manufactured Tempo's three-wheel delivery vans under license from 1962 to 2000. And that explains the origin of the re-imported Hanseat from Kai-Uwe Wahl. The car from 1989 runs technically flawlessly (top speed 50 km/h) and of course has MOT. Wahl does not give him any special care in everyday life. "I want my vehicle to show its life. I'm not the type of person who wants to own an over-restored car."