Recently, a special unrestored Swiss Rapid was added to the collection of the Louwman Museum. The car was built in 1946 by Rapid AG in Dietikon, Zurich. During its construction, Rapid made use of numerous technical concepts conceived by the Jewish engineer Jozef Ganz and patented designs for a Volkswagen.
Rapid from 1946 in the Louwman Museum
The “car for the people” had to come into existence, and as editor-in-chief of the German trade journal Motor-Kritik, Ganz was able to launch his plans for an affordable yet safe car for the masses. In 1931, while working for the German car manufacturer Adler, he built a prototype car, which he christened the “Maikäfer” (May Beetle). This was a car with a backbone chassis and swing axles, components that would later reappear in the design of the Volkswagen Beetle.
The car in the Louwman Museum was built in the Rapid factory and is car no. 11 from a pre-series of 37 units. The project was terminated prematurely, meaning the car was never put into production. You can read more about this special car. on the Louwman Museum websiteGoing there once is of course even more fun!
