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When
the large indoor riding arena in Kohlstrasse was vacated
by the military in 1904, it was taken over by the Beissbarths
for car production.
Photograph from 1910. |
The
identical twins went from one success to another, making
a name for themselves both as racing drivers and as businessmen
in the car trade. In 1904, 235 private cars were registered
in Munich. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to find
out whether they were all made by Beissbarth.
The Beissbarth brothers were close friends of the Daimler
family and around 1902 they started to sell the luxury
marques Daimler and Benz. It is not surprising therefore
that their business soon outgrew their premises in Sonnenstrasse.The
Beissbarths needed large and impressive premises, if possible
with enough land for short test drives. In 1904, they
found just what they were looking for. the large indoor
riding arena in Kohlstrasse had been vacated by the military
and was available for renting. Within a short time, the
brothers had turned it into Beissbarths car workshop.
It was an enormous building. In addition to offices, cubicles
for negotiations and work rooms there were 170 parking
spaces for cars and the open area around the building
was large enough for short test rides. |
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A contemporary
drawing of he Beissbarth car shop. This is now the site
of the European Patent Office. In the background is the
tower of the Deutsche Museum. |
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In the first few days of July 1903, motorists from all over Germany gathered in Munich for a “motor-car meeting”. Today we might call this event a “car rally”.
According to the Munich city archives, there were 165 registered private cars and 18 registered company cars in December 1903.
The “Gebrüder Beissbarth” company grew so rapidly that it had to move to new, larger premises at 2 Sonnenstrasse as early as 1900. |
The Beissbarths in a Daimler at the start of a race on
the Kesselberg (Herkomer Race) organised during the
motor-car week in Munich in 1905.
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With its two engines, the Beissbarths’ Wartburg racing car had an impressive horsepower of 8 bhp and a top speed of 60 km/h. |
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