Closing date for April issue -> February 17
Tempo Hanseat. A brave workhorse during the reconstruction, a beloved scale model
The Tempo Hanseat was an iconic light commercial vehicle that was particularly popular in Germany in the 1928s. It was produced by Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werk GmbH. The Hamburg-Harburg-based manufacturer was known for building practical, compact vehicles for small businesses. During the post-war reconstruction, there was little room for small businesses to afford a larger van. In Hamburg, they decided to continue with a concept that had existed since Vidal & Sohn's inception in XNUMX: the Dreirad van. We describe the Hanseat, which has also been popular as a scale model for many years.
Starting in 1949, Tempo responded to the need for an affordable and maneuverable solution for post-war transport with the Hanseat, effectively applying the concept it had been using since the company's founding in 1928. The three-wheeled van became very popular and, after World War II, made a significant contribution to the economic reconstruction period of the XNUMXs.
The Tempo Dreirad's design was simple and well-conceived, and the Hanseat happily built on this heritage. As a light commercial vehicle, the vehicle had to be reliable, affordable, and maneuverable. This began with its basic construction. As mentioned, the van had a three-wheeled body, with a single front wheel providing steering. The rear axle carried two rear wheels, the latter of which was, of course, a given for stability in combination with the payload. Speaking of which: the payload varied—depending on the model—between 500 and 750 kilograms. This configuration gave the Dreirad a tight turning circle, ideal for use in narrow city streets and busy market areas.
Underneath the one- or two-person cabin was a small two-stroke engine, directly above or behind the front wheel. This engine was simple in design, easy to maintain, and fuel-efficient. This was exactly what small businesses needed. Over the years, the engine capacity increased from 250 cc to 400 cc, making the Tempo Hanseat more suitable for transporting cargo or (small) commercial stock. For specific markets, the Hanseat also received a 500 cc engine. Availability of this engine depended entirely on the country.
The top speed of 50 to 60 kilometers per hour depended on the model and made the vehicle particularly suitable for urban use. Business owners could order the Tempo with several body types: as a pickup truck, a version with an open loading platform (with or without a tarpaulin), or a panel van. Because of this versatility and maneuverability, the Tempo Hanseat became a familiar sight even after the war and was indispensable for countless small businesses. The four-wheeled Wiking, introduced in 1953, gradually took over from the Hanseat, and in 1956, the beloved three-wheeler disappeared from the scene. Then the Wiking, equipped with a 452 cc Heinkel engine, finally replaced the vehicle.
The German Schuco company has been building scale models of the Tempo Dreirad commercial vehicles for many years. Several versions have been released, and some were sold as special editions in limited numbers. Examples include the Werco and the Noris Classic 1999.
Schuco released this model in a range of recognizable corporate colors and logos. This applied, for example, to the versions with a flatbed. Examples include the versions of Frankenheim Alt (rare), Lederer-Bräu, Castrol, Fulda Reifen, Dunlop Reifen, Persil, and Vogeley Süßspeisen. The Kastenwagen was also regularly scaled down. These box-body cars were released in versions of Deutsche Bundespost, Tempo, Maggi, Shell, Kaiser's Kaffee, and Sinalco, among others. This was often done with a completely accurate color scheme and period-correct lettering.
This small-business nostalgia The pocket-sized version is still available through various channels. Online retailers offer ample opportunity to acquire these vehicles. Many models of this Schuco long-runner are still available. Special editions are naturally more expensive than the larger-scale versions. Prices range from around €15 to €50 to €60. Whatever you choose, and in whatever scale, a Schuco 1:43 model of the Tempo Hanseat will bring pure nostalgia into your home. Incidentally, the vans are also available in the Schuco Piccolo series (1:90, not 1:87).
We're posting some images of the models and the original. More sample photos can be found—in conjunction with the offer—for example: on eBay and on this website, with the corresponding price tag. Visit the websites; they're worth it and most likely offer the model you're looking for.
I remember this unique workhorse from my early childhood. I think the greengrocer or grocer had one and went door to door with it, selling his wares. The engine was a two-stroke, and when it started, it went, "prrr, pom pom pom." Even then, it was a unique vehicle. Nice.
In Hilversum, where I grew up in the 50s and 60s, I remember a greengrocer and a scrap dealer with one of those tricycles. This was also the time when various businesses, such as coal dealers, used American Chevrolets and English Bedford army trucks – with machine-gun hatches in the roofs of the cabs. And certainly, it was still a time of horse and cart, like the rag-and-bone man's. With the understanding of much later years that almost everyone had little money and bicycle tires, for example, were often patched by the owners themselves. A time when you learned to manage money and literally had various skills at your fingertips. With supermarkets still in their infancy, there was a grocer, butcher, or greengrocer on almost every corner, some of whom apparently had a bit more money to spend in the form of a VW bus (with slats, of course) or an Opel Rekord station wagon, whether secondhand or not. But I remember those smoke-smoking Tempos with the practical suicide doors and those small 'headlights' with, of course, sentimentality and tenderness.
That's what happened. As a smaller young person I dared to be a Schrotthändler in the Tempo mitfahren.Natürlich haben wir die Fahrradreifen selbst geflickt.Manchmal vermisse ich, dass damals eeninfacher war Those Menschen were nicht abgehoben.
Badly overset.
Die Übersetzung is machine. Also for that reason.