About Tough to crack puzzle #169: Eucort Sedan

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Another record amount of answers to last week’s car puzzle. And all of you identified the car as an Eucort, built in Spain. Once again, the exact model designation left some room for discussion. Most of you simply called it the Eucort Sedan, but other names we saw were Eucort Type 51, Eucort Turismo, Eucort Victoria, Eucort Victoria Turismo and Eucort Victoria Avión. Stuart Penketh: “The identifying feature of the 2 cylinder Turismo, is the ventilation louvre on the bonnet line.” Bart: “It is an updated version of the earlier model, now with headlights incorporated in the front fenders. After this model the 3 cylinder Victoria model was introduced.” To be honest we are not too sure which of the exact models this one is, so let’s just count all of them. Gerd Klioba mentioned the various models available from the Spanish manufacturer: “Besides the Sedan there were the Rural woody wagon, the Victoria steel wagon, Victoria taxis, Victoria Avion sedans with a Studebaker-like front, as well as one-off sports and racing cars.” Like all of you he also mentioned that Eucort was founded by Eusebio Cortés Cherto, who started straight after the War. Next, there was a link to DKW, which many of you mentioned too. From your comments: “The engineering department was led by a former Auto Union engineer who applied many of the design principles of the pre-war DKW”; “The first Eucort was based on prewar DKW design”; “The Company Engineering Head, was a pre-war, German, ex-DKW employee”; “It was based on the Auto Union/DKW F-9”; “Designed along DKW lines it had a 2-cyl. 2-stroke engine and fwd”; “They started building a two-cylinder two-stroke 750cc car inspired by DKW”; “As a former auto-union-engineer was involved in the construction, a certain technical similarity to the DKW cars is recognizable”.

Those were the facts. Over to the inside information. Luc Ryckaert: “High development costs, competition with other brands and the start of the SEAT project, with government support, had a negative impact on the factory, that closed down in 1953” That was not bad. But Robbie Marenzi’s was better: “At the "Feria de Muestras de Barcelona" in June 1949, Eusebi Cortés, founder of the company, gave General Franco one of these cars for his daughter Carmen.” Superb! But the prose of Henk Visscher made us the most lyrical. He wrote: “A CIA memorandum suggests that, just before the downfall of the Nazi-regime, designs and technical materials used in manufacturing DKW cars were brought to Spain together with technicians and capital. Although this information requires fact checking, in June 1945 we note the establishment of ‘Automóviles Eucort’ in Barcelona, a company focusing on the production of light cars with DKW-like two-stroke engines. President was Eusebio Cortés Cherto, an entrepreneur in food industry. Franz Gottlieb Wehrle is mentioned as technical director. The picture shows a 1949 Eucort sedan. This model had a 1034cc three-cylinder engine resembling that of the pre-war DKW F9-prototype.” That’s simply excellent. Well done Henk, you are the winner for now and gain the full 5 points. That brings us to the following line-up:

1. Luc Ryckaert: 6 points
2. Henk Visscher - 5 points
3. Robbie Marenzie - 1 point
4. Ted Wilmarth - 1 point
5. Alan Spencer - 1 point
6. Vintage - 1 point

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