1957 Rometsch Beeskow

This beautiful three-seat convertible was hand-crafted by Rometsch Karosserie in Berlin and is named after its designer, Johannes Beeskow. These cars were produced between 1950 and 1957, and were considered the 'Volkswagen for high society.' The very first one was sold to the King of Sweden, and others were driven by celebrities such as Victor de Kowa, Gregory Peck, and Audrey Hepburn. The aluminum-bodied sports car was never officially blessed by Wolfsburg, and, in fact, Volkswagen refused to supply the long-established coachbuilders with the rolling chassis and other parts needed, so they were forced to buy complete Volkswagens through their 50 employees. This example has had three owners since new, in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. It was restored in 2000 in Great Britain.

Friedrich Rometsch founded the German-based metallurgical-coachbuilding company called Karosserie Friedrich Rometsch in 1924. In the 1950s they built the Rometsch Beeskow based on the Volkswagen Beetle platform. Named after its designer, Johannes Beeskow, it was put on display at the Geneva Automotive Show. The first example was purchased by actor Viktor de Kowa.

Prior to World War II, Johannes Beeskow had worked as the general manager of Joseph Neuss in Berlin-Halensee. Erdmann & Rossi took over Neuss in 1933 and Beeskow was retained. After World War II, he moved to Rometsch and later became the technical manager at Karmann.

The Rometsch Beeskow was available as a coupe and convertible, of which 175 examples were built, the majority of which were convertibles. These hand-built vehicles used a steel frame with wood pillars and were clothed in a lightweight aluminum body. They were intended as an affordable sport car alternative to many of the more expensive cars of the day. By using the Volkswagen Beetle chassis, there were hopes of keeping prices low.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019