Despite its reputation for automotive engineering excellence, Germany had one of the lowest rates of vehicle ownership in Europe during the 1920s and 30s. This was largely due to expensive road taxes and the focus of the major motoring companies on large and expensive cars only suitable for the very wealthy. Klein Auto Sport catered to the very small group of enthusiasts on the margins of motoring who were building and racing home made light cars. Due to the limitations of the field, this was an area of significant design innovation, which Klein Auto Sport was able to give voice to.
Being an outsider publication, Klein Auto Sport was not taken particularly seriously by the motoring industry and by 1927 the magazine was losing money. Its publishing house, H.Bechhold Verlagsbuchhandlung, took over management of the magazine and installed a new editor, Jozef Ganz. Ganz was a fiery character who was not content with the industry status quo. From the editorial pages he embarked on fierce critiques of the major companies, their products and lack of innovation. Ganz' acerbic commentary gained him many enemies, which would come back to haunt him later. Nevertheless, Ganz' full-throated challenge to the industry raised the profile of the magazine, gaining readership and influence. In 1929 the magazine was renamed Motor-Kritik.
The importance of Motor-Kritik as an artifact of historic significance cannot be understated. The magazine's editor and many contributors were intensely interested in the advancement of automobile design during an era when significant developments were underway. Paul Jaray and Wunibald Kamm were developing their streamlining ideas, engine development was continuing apace, there were advancements in gears, brakes, and suspension. The idea of a 'people's car' was gaining traction, something that Ganz was particular passionate about. All of these ideas and developments were captured, reported or editorialized in the pages of Motor-Kritik.
I consider this content to be an important resource that should be available to automotive historians and those with a general interest, so I have created this online archive of my personal collection of Motor-Kritik magazines. Some of the material will be of little interest today, but sharing it all allows for a full picture of issues, interests and challenges of those times to be understood. It also provides a counterpoint to those who may be overstating Ganz' importance in the developments he writes about by giving a fuller picture.
Of course, the magazine is in German, however, I will be progressively translating and publishing significant articles into English from time to time.
I hope that you find this useful.
Kind regards
Paul Markham
