Phänomobil Van

Although it may look like a somewhat fragile and experimental vehicle, this German Phanomobil was in its day a very successful car, with several thousand built between 1907 and 1927.

Although it may look like a somewhat fragile and experimental vehicle, this German Phanomobil was in its day a very successful car, of which several thousand were built between 1907 and 1927. Even the Netherlands had an importer: Baakman in Assen, who offered the car 'both for service, as well as for tourism and competitions'. Various models were available, both passenger cars and delivery vans. The car in the museum is a small delivery van that was probably used in or around Karlsruhe. The air cooled four cylinder 1.5 liter engine shows that the car must have been built in or shortly after 1912, the year in which these engines were introduced. The Phanomobil was produced by Phanomen Werke in the German town of Zittau in the state of Saxony, which would later become part of East Germany. From 1927 onwards only trucks were built, under the name Granit. In 1945 the factory was nationalized.