The living-car: smaller than a prison cell, but space for threeas

With its diminutive dimensions of residential cars you should familiarize yourself at the outset:

Internal length only 2.98 m,
Internal width only 1.45 m,
Internal height with flared superscript roof 1.91 m,
Interior height (fed superscript roof) 1.58 m when driving

Photo: Family Dethleffs (from left Fridel and Arist with Ursula) before Opel Cabriolet with Dethleffs Residential car.

The adjustable lifting roof was to improve the climate in the caravan the essential development.

 

 

Critics enjoyed themselves then on the Dethleffs family: what do they want with that box? Without question, the residential car looked from the outside like a box. What the critics but did not know: She was exactly what the design popes Henry van de Velde and Walter Gropius then the famous "Bauhaus" Weimar taught: The form must follow function. The easier and simpler, more beautiful and better. For the function then the speed was not an issue, and the fuel consumption was secondary. Much more important was that the family could be happy in the smallest space. And it was! Some pictures were taken in 1934, the color photos are from the many years ago reconstructed living- car (Replica), which was presented by the Munich „Lach und Schießgesellschaft“ at the inauguration of the new plant in the sketch. He is now on display in Erwin.Hymer.Museum, Bad Waldsee.