One-off 1957 Spohn DV-13 V8 Convertible (w/ startup)
A very rare red 1957 Spohn DV-13 convertible arriving at the 2026 San Marino Motor Classic at Lacy Park. Based in Ravensburg, Germany, Hermann Spohn Karosseriebau was founded in 1920 and was best known for coachwork on the Maybach Zeppelin DS8 and SW38 as well as pre-war luxury cars from Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, and Mercedes-Benz. After World War II, the coachbuilder began producing one-off cars marketed primarily to American soldiers in Germany using chassis of American cars with styling inspired by 1950s American concept cars. This car utilizes a 1939 Ford chassis and is powered by a 331-ci V8 engine from a 1953 Cadillac mated to a Ford 3-speed manual transmission. It is one of around 20 bespoke examples produced and was one of the last cars built by Spohn before the company closed in 1957. The car was previously featured on an episode of “Chasing Classic Cars” and was displayed at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, where it won the Camille Jenatzy Award for the Car with the Most Audacious Exterior, and the 2014 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance. It was sold at an online auction for $66,000 in June 2025.
In 2022, the judges at the San Marino Motor Classic gave the pre-war Best in Show award to a 1932 Maybach Zeppelin DS8 - a beautiful, big, luxurious car with coachwork by Spohn. The coachbuilder made another appearance at this year's show, and most people would believe there are space aliens living disguised among humans before they believe that the two cars were designed by the same company. The rear of this car looks like a rejected Batmobile about to lay eggs. And if you thought that was bad, check out the front - the unloved offspring of a Mickey's Toontown prop and a handheld vacuum cleaner. It looks like two separate cars were fighting over which has a more attractive face, then the designer froze them both in time before the fight was resolved and proceeded to built the car without another look. I wouldn't be surprised if Spohn was actually trying to insult Americans rather than to appeal to Americans. Either way, it's an unfortunate way to go down in history for a coachbuilder known for truly beautiful and elegant creations for some of the world's most prestigious automakers. Go do yourself a favor and look up the 2022 video of the Maybach Zeppelin so you can remember Spohn in a positive light. With that said, I'm always thankful that there are people in this world who are crazy enough to spend the time, money, and energy preserving little-known pieces of history like this, however odd they may be, and bringing them out to events for others to see.
What would you do with this rare Spohn if it were in your garage? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!