AutoCult Persu Experimentallimousine (1924) (Romania)

About the Original:

Nowadays Normality or The Need for Things to be Invented

When considering a modern car nowadays, it is possible without saying that the wheels are hidden under the car body – but this has not always been the case. Even in the 1920s, it was usual that the wheels were fixed outside of the car body.

The Romanian, Aurel Persu was dealing with the idea that the wheels should be covered by the body shape because of aerodynamic reasons.

Aurel Persu, who accomplished his studies in Berlin, returned in his home country Romania during the First World War and was working in Bucharest. After the end of the war, he went back to Germany and was founding a topic in the streamline, which never released him.

In the search of a best aerodynamic body shape for an automobile, he came to the conclusion that the example of a falling drop of water would be the ideal streamlined shape. Aurel Per?u was so convinced of his recognition that in 1922 he even patented his invention in Berlin. His specification was titled as a “four-wheeled streamlined car with installed wheels within the streamlined shape” and translated the falling drop of water into a car body.

In 1924 he obtained his patent.

He was producing a model in real size to convince his critics in practice, and with which he was going on a promotional tour from 1924. But for financial reasons he had to fall back on existing parts, and therefore his car did not equal the ideal drop shape in no way.

The numerous people, who could look at the car for the first time, hardly realized that the progress: the wheels of the Persu experimental car were completely included in the shape of the car body and were no longer running free.

Among expects this point proved as forward-looking on the concept car of Aurel Persu.

During his time, the automobile manufacturers did not show of even share this view towards the future. None of the plants was showing interest in his research.