2 replies to this topic

[Fabienne]

At Grenzlandring 1952 in the Formula 2 race, many spectators were killed or badly injured by a terrible accident.

Helmut Niedermayr, who caused the accident, drove a Reif-BMW Sportwagen, which he raced at Schauinsland 1952, Solitude 1952, but as Intertyp.

 

https://www2.landesa...screenhoehe=984

 

There seems to be only one photo of this car, just before the terrible accident.

Has anybody a photo of this Reif-BMW Sportscar?

 

Thank you very much in advance.

 

Fabienne

 

 

[Tim Murray]

The Grenzlandring accident was discussed in this earlier thread:

 

Grenzlandring 1952

 

where there are photos, and links to photos, showing the car. See especially Rx-guru's post 34 which has links to two photos of the car racing in 1951.

 

 

[uechtel]

There are a couple of photos of the car in that link, but they do not show the car exactly in the outfit at the Grenzlandring. The car was built in 1949, but then modified again and again. In 1951 the BMW engine was replaced by a Veritas, which had also some minor changes at the nose of the cars. In 1952 the nose was again much modified and now shaped more Veritas style, probably in order to fully "adopt" the car by Loof´s company.

 

As the Grenzlandring was an extreme high-speed circuit maybe Niedermayr preferred to have the car fitted with the sports car fenders, perhaps he thought they were more streamline. Or perhaps he had intended to start with the car in the sports car division, as the original F2 entry had been his AFM. But this had a technical problem, so he switched to the Reif.

 

To clarify the terminologies, "Sportwagen" means sports car, needs two seats, fenders, headlights etc. In difference to that a classic "Rennwagen" (race car) was an open wheeled single seater, but there were no clear regulations. Therefore in theory in a race for Rennwagen you could start with anything you had (and which fell under the engine capacity limit of the Formula).

 

Now "Intertyp" just means "something in between". Fitting under sports car regulations, but at the same time built also a little bit to the character of a race car. Means streamlined body that did not cover the wheels (like a race car), but offset driver position (leaving space for a passenger seat to fit to the sports car rules). In order to switch between the classes you had just to attach or detach fenders and headlights an thus you could earn double starting money.

 

So he did not drive the car as Intertyp, it always was one. You can say sometimes he may have driven it as a sports car (because that meant further restrictions) or as a race car (which meant less restrictions), but you could always use a sports car as a race car as well...