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Description

From 1935 onwards, the BMW 319 followed the 315, first as sports roadster 319/1, then the 1.9-liter engine also found its way into standard models. as Just like its predecessor, these came in a large variety of different body versions, 491 cars were delivered only as a chassis frame and, dressed by bodywork manufacturers such as Reutter, Drauz or Ludwig Weinberger.  

The Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co. GmbH was a German Stellmacherbetrieb and manufacturer of bodies, which was based in Stuttgart. The company was founded in 1906 by master saddler Wilhelm Reutter (1874-1939). In 1909, his brother Albert Reutter joined the company as a partner and commercial director. The enterprise firmierte 1910 under “Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co, owner W. & A. Reutter”. The Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk registered numerous patents, u. a. on July 24, 1909, the patent no. 225555 for a “folding roof with canopy, especially for motor vehicles”. This “reform body” was thus a constructive forerunner of the Cabriolet. Until the Second World War, Reutter built elegant and luxurious car bodies on chassis of almost all renowned German carmakers: Adler, Benz, BMW, Daimler / Daimler-Benz, Dixi, Horch, Maybach, NSU, Opel. Even foreign car manufacturers made superstructures for their vehicles at Reutter, so u. a. Ansaldo, Austro-Daimler, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Fiat, La Salle. Since the late 1920s, the Stuttgart body shop produced various Wanderer bodies to Wanderer W24, the first large-scale order for the Auto Union AG. The mixed wood / steel construction enabled larger series, and Reutter was able to produce special and standard bodies for many car manufacturers, especially Wanderer. In 1937, a branch was opened in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, mainly for the production of Wanderer W24 bodies. A total of 900 employees built up to 33 bodies a day.

Body chassis 53380 was delivered to the BMW site at Kurpfalz in Berlin as a BMW 319 with no body structure. Afterwards, the chassis received a sporty, two-window convertible structure from Reutter in Stuttgart, which was not possible to buy directly from BMW! In principle, the so-called “factory convertible” from Reutter had four side windows; ones with two windows mainly went to England, where they were marketed as Frazer Nash. In other words, this extremely attractive body form is extremely rare in continental Europe!