Tempo E200, G1200, Matador: “Nordic, mature” character, but not “Aryan” appearance
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Tempo E200, G1200, Matador: “Nordic, mature” character, but not “Aryan” appearance

The German car industry is not only "Behi", "Mercedes", "Opels"The brands listed brought the nation worldwide fame, in the shadow of which “small fry” like the Tempo company withered away.


The manufacturer tried: developed something, increased the "horses" under the hood, chased time on its three wheels, exposed its back to loads weighing up to 800 kg. But descendants tend to make fun of it: they are ready to stick any specimen in the "automotive cabinet of curiosities". They came up with such a conditional category, ungrateful, where they collect freaks of mechanical engineering.

Today we take a few of the “poor ones” for review, admiring their courage and hard work.

About the manufacturer


The Vidal & Sohn car company was founded by Oskar Vidal in 1924. The plant in Hamburg started with three-wheelers bicyclesThen they started to stick motors on them and install car steering wheels.

Tempo E200, G1200, Matador: “Nordic, mature” character, but not “Aryan” appearance Tempo E200 single-cylinder tricycles in service 100 years later. Photo: YouTube.com

When they decided to build a driver's cabin, they needed some kind of chassis. They created a platform on which they assembled the necessary components.

The bicycle manufacturer turned into a car manufacturer. They may have tried to reach for the stars. But they quickly abandoned the idea. They occupied a modest but necessary niche for the average citizen in light commercial Transport.

Tempo E400 has a lifting capacity of up to 800 kg. Photo: YouTube.com

Things started to go well. They wanted to expand the model range. Even before the war, they had started producing passenger cars (three-wheeled, of course). After the Second World War, they "grew up" to four-wheeled vans, trucks, and even an SUV.

The fate, like that of all small manufacturers, is complicated. Filled with endless acquisitions, mergers, collapses, losses. But we did not set the task of tracking the life vicissitudes of the manufacturer. It is important that in the 70s Tempo finally got lost somewhere in the depths of Indian enterprises.

Interior of the Tempo E200 in passenger car version. Photo: YouTube.com

The fact is not surprising. In Asia, they like compact ones cars on unpaired wheels. Tricycles are generally considered to be the lot of Third World countries. India, however, has already become a state with a strong economy. However, this cheerful and carefree people continue to transport their enormous bales on archaic vehicles.

Let's take a break from the colorful, hot country and return to cold pre-war Germany.

Tempo A200, E200 (1928-1949)


However, let's continue the line with the A400 and E400 models, they are still outwardly indistinguishable. These cargo three-wheelers competed with the strong Goliath company. "Goliath" was a pioneer in the German market of "automobile-type" tricycles.

Who are these double "nostrils" of the Tempo E200 hinting at? Photo: YouTube.com

The mode of transport enjoyed steady demand for two reasons. There was no tax to pay for the purchase of a "non-serious" car. The second circumstance was that the owner did not need a driver's license.

Meanwhile, the Tempo came in a variety of bodies. Pickups, flatbeds trucks, vans allowed us to turn over a lot of useful things around the house and in business.

The family of cars with the letter indexes "A" and "E" were practically identical. Justified and reasonable from the point of view of saving on the development of the exterior. And the wallet of the aforementioned poor burgher did not suffer. The user was interested in the load capacity. And the figure was about 750 kg.

Tempo E200 engine. Photo: YouTube.com

Other technical data for 1- or 2-cylinder engines:

✅ Volume – up to 400 cm3
✅ Power - 12,5-15 hp With.
✅ Speed ​​– 38-40 km/h

The most popular model in the series was the A400, which is also known as the Tempo Hanseat. The car was produced until 1949, the total circulation was 37 units. And in India (we are not indifferent to it today) the truck was produced in hundreds of thousands. Almost without changing the design, the Hanseat stood on the conveyor until 131.

Tempo Matador (1949-1952)


The fierce rivalry between Tempo and Goliath bore fruit: both manufacturers developed and improved their technology. After World War II, the Vidal & Sohn factory remained in West Germany.

Lacking the resources to develop power units, the company signed a 5-year contract with Volkswagen to supply Beetle engines. It was decided to produce 4-wheeled vans capable of carrying 1 ton of cargo. The car was called Tempo Matador.

Tempo Matador "Bulldog". Photo: YouTube.com

VW also experienced post-war difficulties, so it was happy to sell at least something to the side. But having got back on its feet, Volkswagen was stunned by the success of the Matador. It began to form its own line of commercial trucks with the T1 index. It is clear that the contract was terminated, and engines were no longer supplied.

In Hamburg, 1362 Tempo Matador units were produced. A dozen exotic trucks have survived to this day. The unusualness of the model was in the exterior and the location of the power complex. Compatriots found a resemblance between the front part of the car and the muzzle of a bulldog. That's what they called the truck - "Boxer".

Other features of the Bulldog


The Matador was a useful vehicle. It could carry four people in the extended cabin and that same ton of luggage. The low cargo platform with folding walls made it easy to transport goods. The doors swung open against the direction of travel.

The engine was air-cooled. But, unlike the Beetle, it was based in the front of the car. The drive was also supplied here via a non-synchronized four-speed gearbox.

Inside the Tempo Matador. Photo: YouTube.com

Engine specifications: volume – 1,1 l, power – 25 hp. A single-leaf spring was used in the front suspension. An independent spring mechanism was installed in the rear.

When Volkswagen perfidiously refused to supply Tempo with units, the company turned to Aston Martin for help. The resulting 1,6-liter engines were installed on completely different cars. That is, the bulldog features were still visible in the exterior, but the bodies looked more like minibuses.

These vehicles were assigned to work as tow trucks and street sweepers. The "Bulldogs" removed garbage and delivered fuel to airfields. The name of the vehicle remained until the 60s.

Tempo G1200 (1936-1943)


The multi-purpose model is interesting already for its two engines. The car had the honor of becoming one of the first German serial all-wheel drive passenger cars.

The Tempo G1200's push-pull cross-country ability is enviable. Photo: YouTube.com

The design, where each axle has an engine and a 4-speed manual gearbox, is called "push-pull". The four-door car was built on a central tubular frame. Saw the G1200 in half crosswise, you get two identical parts.

Dimensions of the model with a wheelbase of 2830 mm:

✅ Length - 4000 mm
✅ Width - 1600 mm
✅ Height - 1500 mm

The weight depended on the body design: open versions pulled 1160 kg, with a roof - 1450 kg. All four wheels were turning. The driver could drive either on one or both engines. The suspension on the front and rear axles was independent spring.

The cross-country ability is hardly enhanced. The Tempo G1200 is a real cross-country vehicle, which was not afraid of boulders, mud ditches, fords 60 cm deep.

Tempo G1200: independent suspension all round, four swivel wheels. Photo: YouTube.com

Under both hoods were 2-cylinder 2-stroke ILO WEGR 2/300T power units with a volume of 594 cm3. The power of each engine was 19 "horses". The SUV accelerated to 70 km/h. The small-scale circulation was 20 copies. Some of them served in the army as staff cars.

Let's conclude: the Tempo car company did not achieve star status. But it produced functional and affordable equipment. The cars did not shine with beauty: the appearance is far from "Aryan". But the character is strong. In Germany, there is a Tempo fan club. Each surviving exhibit is cherished and protected by the members of the community. You can see exotic cars at fairs and other auto shows.
Which of the listed Tempo models did you like the most?
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