Ready to rev up your history knowledge? Dive into the wild ride of Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinen Union—once the world’s top motorcycle maker! From epic speed records to wacky Kettenkrads, this video unpacks their legendary legacy. Don’t miss out—subscribe for more awesome stories and comment your favorite NSU fact below! #motorcycles #history #Germany #racing #technology
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @krasmoto
00:00:00 - Introduction and Overview
00:01:24 - Founding and Early Growth
00:04:26 - Motorcycle Production and Racing Success
00:09:20 - Model Innovation and Expansion
00:16:59 - Wartime Contributions and Kettenkrad
00:25:27 - Post-War Recovery and New Models
00:28:36 - Racing, Records, and Civilian Focus
00:36:25 - Decline, Merger, and Legacy
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @krasmoto
00:00:00 - Introduction and Overview
00:01:24 - Founding and Early Growth
00:04:26 - Motorcycle Production and Racing Success
00:09:20 - Model Innovation and Expansion
00:16:59 - Wartime Contributions and Kettenkrad
00:25:27 - Post-War Recovery and New Models
00:28:36 - Racing, Records, and Civilian Focus
00:36:25 - Decline, Merger, and Legacy
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Greetings, viewers. Today, BMW is the only major motorcycle manufacturer from Germany,
00:07but it wasn't always like that. Germany is the birthplace of many interesting motorcycle brands.
00:12These include Dampfkraftwagen and Motorradwerk, Schopau Sundab, and Simpson. And in the 1910s to
00:201930s, there were even more companies producing motorcycles. This trend was common throughout
00:26the global motorcycle industry, not just in Germany. In this segment, I want to introduce
00:31you to the history of Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union motorcycles. This is one of the oldest
00:37German motorcycle companies. At one point, Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union was the largest
00:43manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles in the world. They created an interesting tracked motorcycle
00:48tractor for the Wehrmacht. The first person to reach a speed of over 200 miles per hour,
00:54that's 322 kilometers per hour on a motorcycle did it on a Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union
01:01machine. Also, using one of this company's machines, the Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union
01:06Bison 2000 was built, a motorcycle with the largest single-cylinder engine. We'll talk about
01:13all this and much more from the history of the Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union company
01:18today. You're on the CrossModa channel. Enjoy watching. The Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union
01:26company was founded by Christian Schmidt, together with Heinrich Stahl back in 1873 in the town of
01:33Riedlingen on the Danube. At the time of its founding, it was called Mechanische Werkstätte zur
01:39Herstellung von Strickmaschinen, which translates as a mechanical workshop for the production of knitting
01:45machines. Soon, the entrepreneurs went their separate ways, and in 1880, Schmidt moved the
01:52production facilities to Neckar-Solm, a city located where the Solm River flows into the Neckar River,
01:59and renamed his company to Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschinen Union. At that time, Christian Schmidt proved to be a
02:06rather shrewd entrepreneur. He apparently understood well that the future belonged to mechanization of
02:13production, and that his knitting machines would be in high demand. In the 1880s, the company experienced
02:19rapid growth, the machines were selling like hotcakes, and the business was expanding and developing.
02:26Christian died in 1884, and two years later, his company caught the next trend and started producing
02:32bicycles. The first model was a penny farthing called Germania. At that time, the design and concept of the
02:39bicycle were undergoing radical changes. The roller chain enabled the creation of the safety bicycle
02:45to be continued. The chain drive made it possible to install wheels of the same diameter on it.
02:52By the late 19th century, bicycles became very popular. Production increased, manufacturing improved,
02:59and prices fell. It became available not just to the wealthy, but also to low-income citizens.
03:06Schmidt's bicycle business really took off. His products were in such high demand that by 1892,
03:14the company completely stopped producing knitting machines in favor of bicycles. And it's not at all
03:21surprising that decades later, an internal combustion engine would be installed in a bicycle frame at the
03:26factory in Neckar-Solm. This happened in 1901. That was when the first Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine
03:33and Union motorcycle made its debut. This machine featured a single-cylinder, four-stroke Zettel
03:41engine with 243 cc displacement and 1.75 horsepower. The frame, originally from a bicycle, was modified
03:52to fit the engine. The engine itself was mounted very low under the bottom tube. The motorcycle was
03:58produced until 1903. Initially, the motorcycles were just called Neckar-Solm or Neckar-Solmer-Motorad,
04:06but for foreign markets, the name turned out to be difficult to pronounce, and soon it was shortened
04:11to just Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union with the letters taken from the name of the area
04:16Neckar-Solm. During those years, motorcycle production grew quickly, and Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine
04:23and Union worked hard to keep up with competitors. In 1903, Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union
04:30started producing its own engines, and by 1904, six different motorcycle models were available to
04:37choose from. One featured a 2.5 horsepower, 500 cc V-twin engine. At Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and
04:44Union, they clearly understood the importance of having their products participate in races and the
04:49fact that this positively affected sales of their machines. Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union
04:53motorcycles were active in races, achieving many victories and setting several records.
04:59As early as 1905, the Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union Company created a specialized racing
05:05motorcycle with an engine displacement of 402 cubic centimeters. The British manager of the Neckar-Solmer
05:12Strickmaschine and Union Company, Martin Geiger, took fifth place on one of his motorcycles,
05:17at the very first Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, in 1907. I have a detailed episode on this
05:25race's
05:25history on my channel. Highly recommend watching. Here's a pop-up suggestion. In the following year,
05:321908 Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union Rider Lees showed a speed of 109,
05:38Kiel-Matrech, during a two-way run, which was declared a world motorcycle speed record.
05:44But at that time, world records were not officially registered yet. In 1909,
05:50Lingenfielders claimed another record near Los Angeles, showing a speed of 124-kilometrech.
05:57What motivated the Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union motorcycle to enter the American market,
06:02which promised significant profits? Setting records for 50 years was an important part of Neckar-Solmer
06:09Strickmaschine and Union's history. Wilhelm Hertz reached 339 kilon-MH in August 1956 on the Bonneville
06:19Salt Flats. We'll discuss that in more detail later.
06:28Another important niche that Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union ventured into
06:33was three-wheeled cargo motorcycles. Their lineup was called Dry-Rad, and the first model debuted in 1903.
06:41The Dry-Rad was equipped with a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that powered one rear wheel.
06:47There were two wheels in the front with a cargo container between them, and it was controlled by a
06:53steering wheel. From 1906 to 1908, the company produced the Zulmobil 4 transport Dry-Rad truck,
07:03which had a 3.5 HP engine, with the engine above the front wheel and a 200-kigü payload capacity.
07:11Zulmobil was unpopular, so the company soon began making full-fledged automobiles.
07:16Since 1905, Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine and Union began producing motorcycle sidecars,
07:21which could be attached to any motorcycle model. That same year, a very popular model with a
07:27three-horsepower engine appeared, and in 1909, the flagship large V-twin with a displacement of one
07:35liter was introduced. Alongside the successful production of motorcycles, car manufacturing
07:41was gradually developing. In 1905, the first car was introduced, and just a couple of years later,
07:47several alternative engine options appeared, ranging from 1,300 cc to almost four liters.
07:55Soon, taxis and small trucks were also put into production.
08:05Union were highly valued abroad, especially in Britain, even with its strong motorcycle
08:11engineering tradition. Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union opened its first London sales office in 1905,
08:19quickly surpassing all expectations. In 1906, British motorcycle enthusiasts bought up all 22%
08:27of the motorcycles imported from Germany. They were Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union.
08:32A little later, the Germans would open a motorcycle factory in Britain to meet the demand.
08:36At the beginning of 1914, 1,500 people worked at this enterprise. But naturally, with the start of
08:43World War I, the enterprise was closed. During the war, Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union supplied
08:50equipment to the German army, the Reichswehr. These included motorcycles and cars. Development slowed
08:56somewhat. The company focused on producing proven and reliable models that were needed by the military.
09:03After the war, the company accelerated the development of new motorcycle models. And despite
09:09the devaluation and the subsequent hyperinflation, it generally prospered. By 1922, production returned
09:15to pre-war levels, with about 3,000 people working at the factory. It is worth noting that during the
09:211910s and 1920s, the naming of Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union motorcycles was extremely
09:28primitive. There were machines with single-cylinder engines and V-twins. Here are some examples.
09:34The Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union. 8 horsepower. And the Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union.
09:40350. 3.5 horsepower. Sometimes the names included the Index S for Sport or T for Touring.
09:49The development of the 250cc overhead valve engine was started in 1925 by the chief designer
09:55of Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union engineer Otto Reeds. The engine of the factory racing motorcycle
10:02with a 250cc displacement. Produced in 1926, 1927 developed 1315 horsepower and allowed speeds
10:12of up to 120 keelit H. Reeds also redesigned the racing motorcycle models with distinctive
10:19two-cylinder engines. Since the mid-1920s, model naming began to change. The 251 model appeared,
10:26and this naming became typical for Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine. Union in the 1930s. The first
10:33two digits showed engine size. The last digit showed cylinder count. One for one cylinder,
10:39two for two. The top model at that time was the 500 2T, which was produced from 1924 to 1927.
10:48This luxury touring motorcycle was equipped with a 500cc V-twin engine, producing 11 horsepower and a
10:56three-speed gearbox. In the post-inflation period, luxury vehicles were unpopular, and just 356 units
11:03of the 502T were produced. The factory in Neckar-Solm, the first among German industrial enterprises,
11:12began using assembly line production technology. The automotive division grew in the 1910s.
11:181920s. In 1927, a separate factory was built for car production. But two years later, due to
11:25financial difficulties, Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine Union sold its car production. They would return
11:31to four-wheeled vehicles in Neckar-Solm in 1958, introducing the compact car Prince, which later
11:37developed into a series of models.
11:45A crucial event was the move of chief engineer and designer Walter William Moore from Norton to
11:51Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine Union in 1929. The motorcycles of the German company soon began
11:57to look quite British. There were heated debates about this move. Moore's engineering work for
12:03Neckar-Solmer Strickmaschine Union was often perceived as plagiarism of Norton technology.
12:09The Englishman worked at the German company for 10 years, until World War II began. The motorcycles
12:16had a typical English appearance. A vertical cylinder, valve drive with a shaft, and bevel gears. An English
12:23gearbox assembled under license and shifted with the right foot, the shape of the tank, and so on.
12:28As part of these changes, the 201T model debuted in 1929, and two years later, its upgraded version,
12:36the 201TS, was released. The 199cc side valve engine boasted 4.5 horsepower, and the motorcycle
12:45could reach speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour. During that period, there were also the 301T and
12:53501T models with side valve engines, as well as their versions with the TS index. The oldest model
13:01in the side valve family was the 601. Also, in 29, the model debuted. The 351 OT, featuring a 350cc
13:12engine.
13:13A logical step in the development of the lineup was the appearance of a civilian motorcycle with an
13:18overhead valve engine. In the 1930s, the 2001 OSL model debuted, whose engine, with the same displacement,
13:26almost doubled its power to 8.5 horsepower. That year, the 251 OSL debuted with a 242cc 10-horsepower engine
13:38and several upgrades. Production continued until 1952. In the first half of the 1930s,
13:46200cc motorcycles were extremely popular in Germany. This was due to the specifics of German laws.
13:53Vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 200cc were subject to minimal tax, and no driver's license
14:00was required to operate them. From 1934 to 1937, the Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschinen-Union,
14:08201ZD Pony model, was produced. Unlike the other 200 models from Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschinen-Union,
14:15it was equipped with a two-stroke engine producing 6.5 horsepower. The letters in the name stood for the
14:21following. Z meant a two-stroke engine and D meant two exhaust pipes. In four years, 46,500 of this
14:30model were produced. In the family with four-stroke single-cylinder engines, there were models with a
14:36displacement greater than 250 cubic centimeters. For example, the 351 OSL with a 346cc 18-horsepower engine
14:48and the 501 OSL with 494cc and 22 horsepower. The 501 OSL model was very fast, with a top speed
14:59of 130 kilometers per hour. It was equipped according to the luxurious standards of its time
15:05and was considered the ideal option for installing a sidecar. The largest and most powerful Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschinen-Union
15:13model in the 1930s was the 601 OSL. It was produced until 1939. It was a luxury motorcycle with a
15:22562cc
15:24overhead valve engine producing 24 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. The abbreviation OSL stood for overhead
15:34valve sports luxury. The British Wehrmacht adopted the 601 OSL model. The Army version was equipped with a
15:4332nd seat, side bags, and an exhaust system painted black. In the Army, motorcycles were used for
15:50couriers and messengers, which made sense given their top speed of 135.2. Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine.
15:59Union motorcycles designed by MURA were famous for their reliability, pulling power, low fuel consumption,
16:05and reasonable price. However, not all of Williams' designs were four-stroke. There were also several
16:12interesting two-stroke models. During the sharp decline in sales during the Great Depression,
16:17Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschinen-Union developed a small power unit that could be installed on a bicycle.
16:23Debuting in 1931, the MotoZolm featured a two-stroke 63cc engine producing one horsepower. It was mounted
16:32above the front wheel and drove it. The machine could accelerate up to 35 km per hour, which was more
16:40than
16:40enough for a design like this. The appearance of MotoZolm was a brilliant marketing move.
16:46A sturdy, inexpensive, motorized bicycle designed for everyday use appealed to many people.
16:52Moreover, Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union offered both men's and women's versions of bicycle frames.
16:58The even more legendary two-stroke engine, called Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union,
17:04debuted at the 1936 Berlin exhibition. The Quick was equipped with a 98cc single-cylinder two-stroke
17:14air-cooled engine, a pedal drive, a two-speed handlebar-shifted gearbox, and was originally
17:21fitted with a pedal brake. A new feature, then, was that the Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union
17:26Quick came in both men's and women's versions. It was the cheapest motorcycle in the world,
17:31and thanks to high demand, it made Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union the largest motorcycle
17:38manufacturer in the world, along with Dampfkraftwagen. The Quick was produced from 1936 to 1953.
17:46A total of 235,500 units were produced during this period, with only minor design changes.
17:53The third two-stroke model was the Pony, which debuted in 1937. It was a full-fledged,
17:59lightweight motorcycle with a 100cc 3-horsepower engine and a three-speed gearbox. Except for a
18:06World War II break, the Pony was produced through 1953. The vehicle was very popular, with about
18:13250,000 of these lightweight motorcycles produced during its run.
18:23In 1936, the talented motorcycle designer Albert Roeder joined the Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union
18:30Company. In addition to civilian vehicles, a family of racing motorcycles was built based on the four-stroke
18:36single-cylinder models. These were machines with highly tuned engines and a maximally lightweight
18:43chassis design. The names of these models included the SS Index, which stands for Super Sport.
18:50These motorcycles helped Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union re-enter national and international
18:56races. The top model was the 601 SS. Thanks to its strong torque, it was well-suited for hill climb
19:04competitions. Tony Fleischmann proved this by winning first place in Germany's 1933 hill climb competition.
19:11The 601 SS was also used in sidecar motorcycle races. Hans Schumann and Hermann Bohm were German
19:19champions for three consecutive years, 1933 to 1935. Even after the war, for years, Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union
19:28motorcycles seriously competed with BMW in sidecar races. The 501 SS, 351 SS, and 251 SS also excelled in races.
19:40Since 1937, racing motorcycles with 350 and 500 cc engines were equipped with a valve timing system
19:49with two camshafts. And the culmination of the development of pre-war sports motorcycles was this
19:55350 cc Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union with a supercharger, two cylinders in line, and two overhead
20:03camshafts. This engine produced 60 horsepower. However, in the tourist trophy race, despite all their efforts,
20:10Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union was unable to push aside the motorcycles of the British company
20:15Norton.
20:21And now we've reached the period of World War I iRacing had to be forgotten. The Wehrmacht became
20:27the main and essentially only consumer of Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union's products.
20:33In addition to motorcycles, the company supplied bicycles and also manufactured aircraft parts.
20:39Several pre-war models were requisitioned for the Army, and Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union
20:45kept producing equipment adopted for service. In particular, the 251 OSL this reliable motorcycle
20:52was favored by communications officers. Signallers and messengers also used the 501 and 601 OSL,
21:01as mentioned earlier. Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union motorcycles with sidecars armed with machine guns
21:08were also available. In 1943, due to an aluminum shortage, since it was all used for aircraft, Neckar-Solmer-Strick
21:16-Maschine-Union
21:17had to make engine parts from cast iron. The most unusual piece of equipment that Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union
21:24created for the Wehrmacht was a tracked motorcycle tractor called the Kettenkrad. And now we'll focus on it.
21:32In 1940, the company Neckar-Zolmer-Vurzeugwerke AG received an order from the Ministry of Armaments
21:39and the Army to develop a light vehicle. The motor tractor was intended to increase the mobility
21:45of infantry units, conduct reconnaissance, tow-light artillery systems, and transport other military
21:52cargo. This order led to the Neckar-Solmer-Strick-Maschine-Union Kettenkrad HK-101, appearing in 1940.
22:01Interestingly, one of the main developers of the new vehicle was Heinrich Ernst Knieppkamp,
22:07later known for creating the running gear for the Tiger and Panther tanks. He developed and patented
22:13the concept of the half-track motorcycle back in the summer of 1939. This half-motorcycle,
22:20half-tractor, was equipped with an engine from the Opel Olympia car, a 1.5-liter inline-four producing
22:2836 horsepower paired with a three-speed gearbox. Across rough terrain, the tracked motorcycle could
22:35move through mud and even swamps thanks to its low ground pressure. The weight was 1,235 kilograms.
22:44It could carry a load of 325 and tow trailers weighing up to 450 kilograms. In addition to the
22:51driver, it could carry two more people. The vehicle was mainly steered, using an active differential of
22:58the tracks, whose brakes were cross-linked by rods to the fork of the front wheel. The motorcycle-type
23:05wheel mainly acted as a visual marker for movement direction. Thanks to its reliability and high
23:12off-road capability, Kettenkrad soon became widespread in all ground units of the Wehrmacht.
23:19But this design also had its drawbacks. The crew was not protected, the track width was narrow,
23:26and Kettenkrad was prone to tipping over on slopes and during sharp turns at speed.
23:31And in such a situation, the driver had almost no chance to leave the vehicle.
23:36By the end of World War I to save aviation fuel, planes were no longer permitted to taxi to the
23:41runway
23:42on their own. Towing them to the runway became the job of the Kettenkrad's, which often worked under
23:48serious overload. During the war, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union made 7,593 tracked motorcycles,
23:57and Steyr produced another 1,330. Also in 1943, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union,
24:07as a further development, designed the heavy half-track motorcycle HK-102 with a more powerful
24:14engine and five seats. However, it was not adopted by the Wehrmacht and remained a prototype.
24:21After the collapse of Nazi Germany in May 1945, the few remaining operational Kettenkrad's were used
24:28in civilian sectors, particularly in agriculture. After the war, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine Union
24:34and Steyr used leftover spare parts to build about 550 more Kettenkrad's as agricultural machinery.
24:41Their production finally ended only in 1949. In addition, in the second half of the 1940s,
24:49the French company Babioli converted a number of captured Kettenkrad's into regular tractors.
24:55The driver's seat was moved back and the front wheel was removed. Two weeks before the surrender,
25:02the plant in Necker-Solmer was bombed and partially damaged. But, as you know, it wasn't wiped off the earth.
25:10They were finishing Kettenkrad's there, the Allied forces used the plant as a repair workshop,
25:16and by the end of 1946, production of bicycles and light pre-war two-stroke motorcycles,
25:24Quick and Pony, had already resumed here. The population of post-war Germany could afford very
25:30little, and at Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union, they focused on simple, inexpensive,
25:35small-displacement vehicles. Albert Roeder was appointed chief designer in 1947 under his leadership.
25:43Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union quickly increased its production volumes. The company's
25:48first post-war creation was a lightweight motorcycle model called Fox. Production began in 1949 with two
25:56versions, a 125cc two-stroke and a 100cc four-stroke engine. This vehicle was in high demand on the
26:05post-war West German market. Soon, sports models appeared.
26:12At the end of 1949, a contract was signed with the Italian company Innocenti to produce the Lambretta
26:19Prima Scooter under license. Initially, the assembly was done using imported Italian parts, but in 1951,
26:26they began producing them entirely in Germany. From 1950 to 1956, before Necker-Solmer Strick Machine
26:34and Union created its own Prima Scooter, 117,000 units of the Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union
26:40Lambretta, Italian VSL, were produced. The interwar production peak for Necker-Solmer Strick Machine
26:46and Union came in 1938 when 62,619 motorcycles were produced. This figure was surpassed in 1950.
26:581951, the console with a 350cc engine debuted and 100cc quick production resumed. Other sources say
27:05the quick and pony models were assembled from 1947 because of spare parts issues. The equipment still
27:12used pre-war designs. One innovation worth noting was the introduction of a telescopic front fork on the
27:18console. A year later, the second generation of the console and its 500cc version appeared.
27:25Edward Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union Max's 1953 debut created a sensation. The uniqueness of this
27:33machine lay in its highly sophisticated overhead camshaft drive system. Instead of the traditional
27:40vertical shaft with a bevel gear, the 250cc max engine was equipped with a drive using two
27:47connecting rods. This is how the mechanism looks in operation.
27:55The idea was like the connecting rods on a steam locomotive's driving wheels. Necker-Solmer Strick Machine
28:03Union took this approach to avoid problems with adjustment during operation and wear of the
28:09bevel drive gears. Max also had an innovative monocoque frame made of stamped steel and a swing
28:16arm with a monoshock. Albert Roeder was a key figure involved in the creation of this innovation.
28:23The competent decisions of Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union as management and their in-demand
28:29lineup of machines allowed the company to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world
28:34world by 1953. That year 350,000 units rolled off the assembly line and in that same year another
28:43company bestseller debuted. The 50cc Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union quickly moped it became the
28:49most popular moped of its time. From 1953 to 1966 more than a million units were produced of which 60
28:58percent
28:58were exported.
29:06Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union didn't forget about racing and records. Despite all the hardships
29:10of the post-war period, the company kept its racing motorcycles and it was decided that the machines
29:16should participate in races. For now, these were local West German events. Right after World War I,
29:24nobody wanted to see Germans at international competitions. Although the FIM banned supercharging
29:30in 1946, German races still used this technology until the mid-1950s. In 1947, Necker-Solmer Strick
29:39Machine and Union machines won sidecar racing championships. In 1948, they reused the pre-war
29:45supercharged Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union. Wilhelm Hertz became German champion in the 350cc class on it.
29:53In 1949, engineers raised the engine's displacement to 500cc. Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union
30:00racer Wilhelm Hertz spent about a year bothering the engineers and the company's management. That this
30:05500cc bike with a full fairing designed by Reinhard Freiherr von König-Faxenfeld was capable of making the brand
30:13famous in the field of absolute speed records. And he finally got his way. On April 12, 1951,
30:20Wilhelm set an absolute speed record of 290.322 km on the A9 Autobahn between Ingolstadt and Munich.
30:31In the streamlined Necker-Solmer Strick Machine Union Dolphin 1 under its fairing was a 500cc engine
30:39boosted to 100 horsepower running on methanol. And that was just the beginning. Hertz would set
30:45absolute records again in 53, 54, and 56. It was the first post-war speed record. Before that,
30:54the record belonged to Ernst Jakob Henne, who reached 279.5 kmh on a supercharged BMW.
31:02November 28, 1937. By 1953, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union's racing lineup featured modern
31:12motorcycles with 125 and 250cc engines and two-rod valve drive. Werner Haas won the German championship
31:21twice in these classes in 1953 subtitles. By then, Germany had joined the FIM and began receiving
31:29international competition invitations. Therefore, supercharging technology remained only for record
31:35attempts. The triumph of Teutonic genius happened in 54. Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union
31:42achieved their greatest victory in the tourist trophy race on the Isle of Man. Austrian Rupert Holaus
31:48won the 125cc class while German engineering dominated the 250cc class. Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and
31:57Union machines took first, second, third, fourth, and sixth places. Werner Haas was first. In the same
32:05year, Haas won the world championship in this class and Rupert Holaus claimed a similar title in the 125cc
32:13class. The highest achievement in the 350cc class brought Herman Paul Miller the title of German champion.
32:21In 55, Miller became the world's first private motorcyclist to win the world championship
32:26on a Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union Sport Max in the 250cc class. However, the company's
32:34machines excelled off the circuit too. From 55 to 67 Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union won 23 German
32:42off-road racing championship titles. In 1951, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union attempted to create a sports
32:53motorcycle with an inline four engine supported by Italian company Guilera. However, the engine was
33:00unreliable and stayed at the prototype stage. In 55, after achieving success, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine
33:07and Union withdrew from Grand Prix racing. At the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, motorcycle designer and
33:14racer Gustav Adolf Baum joined Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union. He also suggested
33:20streamlined record-breaking motorcycles, a concept that went beyond Faxenfeld's ideas. Since the
33:27rider was positioned in the bike lying on his back, the height of the motorcycle was only about 72 feet
33:33and 5 inches. In 52, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union signed a contract with Gustav and built
33:42the Baum 1 and 2 bikes which were equipped with 50cc and 100cc engines respectively. A little later,
33:50the 125cc Baum 3 and the 250cc Baum 4 appeared. In the end, these machines held 11 speed records.
33:59The 50cc reached a top speed of 196 kmh, the 100cc set a record at 222 kmh, the 125cc at
34:11242 kmh,
34:13and the 250cc Baum 4 accelerated to 320 kmh. Its aerodynamic drag coefficient was so low
34:22that a 44-horsepower engine was enough to achieve these results.
34:27The Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union Dolphin 3, which was also fully streamlined,
34:33and had a 110-horsepower engine. Now we've reached Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union's
34:39most famous record, 1956. A team of racers, mechanics, technicians, and engineers travels to
34:47Utah's Bonneville Speed Mecca. The lineup of Baum and Dolphin 3 machines took part in the record runs.
34:53The third Dolphin was extensively upgraded. Aerodynamics were perfected at the University of Stuttgart,
34:59and the supercharged 500's power was boosted to 110 horsepower. Interestingly, Necker-Solmer
35:07Strick Machine and Union used a rather unusual rotary supercharger, which was connected to Necker-Solmer
35:13Strick Machine and Union's later development of the Wankle engine. Hertz had a hard time with the record.
35:19During one of the practice runs, a gust of wind blew him off the track, and he hit a
35:23stroboscope with the body of the motorcycle. The fairing needed repair. On August 4, the wind died
35:29down, and at 6 a.m. Hertz started, pushing the motorcycle to its limits. As Cycle Magazine wrote,
35:35with salt flying from the wildly spinning rear wheel. He reached a speed of 338.992 kilometers per hour,
35:45and that was a new record. The Necker-Solmer Strick Machine Union Dolphin 3 was the first motorcycle to
35:52break the 200 mph barrier. This record officially stood until 1962. The planned New Baum 5 was supposed to
36:02reach a top speed of about 366 kilometers per hour. But after 1956, Necker-Solmer Strick Machine
36:09Union also shut down their record-breaking program. The money used for racing and records was needed to
36:18produce civilian equipment. So, in 1957, the company returned to car production. That year, the Necker-Solmer
36:27Strick Machine and Union Prince model debuted with a 600cc 20-horsepower engine. New models of civilian
36:34motorcycles appeared. In 1954, the Max Special Model debuted. A year later, the Sport, Max 250 Racer,
36:42and Superlux were introduced. The company's focus was increasingly shifting toward automobiles.
36:48The population of Germany and other European countries wanted more comfort from their personal
36:53vehicles. A small car was an excellent solution, and by then a fairly large segment of the population
36:59could afford to buy a four-wheel vehicle. These processes caused a crisis in the European motorcycle
37:05industry in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union, they were
37:12devoted to rotary engines by Felix Vankel, investing heavily in this niche. The new engine layout was viewed as
37:19the future of automobile manufacturing. And Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union achieved a certain
37:25success by presenting to the public, in 1964, the world's first car with a rotary engine, called the
37:33Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union Spider. However, this engine had its own drawbacks. Necker-Solmer
37:38Strick Machine and Union was plagued by problems with the engine rotor seals, and they were not resolved,
37:44so the car gained a reputation for being unreliable. Who wanted a machine that needed engine work after
37:50just 20,000 kilometers? These events further damaged the company's already declining reputation.
37:58Motorcycle production continued until 1968. The last mass-produced Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and
38:04Union motorcycle was the Quick 50, which debuted in 1962. In 1969, Volkswagen Verk AG acquired the
38:14struggling Necker-Solmer Strick Machine and Union. The Volkswagen editor merged Auto Union and Necker-Solmer
38:21Strick Machine and Union, and that's when the final image of the Audi brand was created. That's how the story
38:29of the
38:29legendary German motorcycle maker ended. At this point, my story comes to an end. I thank you for
38:36your attention. If you enjoyed the material, please don't hesitate to subscribe to the channel if you
38:42haven't already. Give it a like and leave a comment. This helps YouTube understand that the story is
38:48interesting to the audience. Also, share this video with your friends. This was the CrossModa channel. See you next time.