AutoCult Tempo Wiking box-type (1973) (Germany) "Tempo-Werke"

About the Original:

Successfully Added the Fourth Wheel

The three-wheeler of the manufacturer Tempo Vidal + Sohn was a very popular van after the short post-war period; however in 1952 the demand declined considerably.

In 1953, the company in Harburg-Bostelbek was presenting on the International Motor Show the four-wheeled type Wiking as successor. Protruding wheel boxes and a very low mounted cooling air inlet were typical for this new van. The front reminded many of a shark and thus the Wiking was titled in the former language use as a “shark´s mouth”.

The van had a load capacity of 850 kilograms. It was powered by a 2-stroke-engine sized at 460 cm³, which had a performance of 17 hp and also powered the front wheels. The complete drive unit was additionally bought from the company Heinkel.

As expected, the new Wiking van enjoyed immediately a great popularity among the traders. This confirmed a further unerring taste of the Tempo plant, which could look back upon 25 years of company history in 1953.

On 12^th of April 1954 the plant was sending three series models on a nonstop-distance of 10,000 kilometers to underline the performance of Wiking. This journey was finished without problems and furthermore two further test runs were made to accentuate this performance. At low tide, the four-kilometers-distance from the mainland to the island Neuwerk was successfully finished – for the first time by car.

This was a further advertising highlight and as a third test Wiking was taking part on the international endurance race in Perpignan, and the van was brilliantly winning in its category.

These successes and a good construction was the result that 12,590 pieces in total were produced of Wiking, before production ceased in 1955 in favor of the successor’s type.