1938 Maybach SW38 Roadster
Few coachbuilders working the SW38 chassis produced anything truly sporting (the Ravensburg firm of Spohn being a notable exception).
Its two-passenger roadster, built on the shorter of the two available wheelbases, stands among the most visually arresting German automobiles of the late 1930s.
Long front fenders with integrated running boards flow back into the rear bodywork, the flanks lightened by a chrome “comet-tail” spear and gentle scalloping at the rear quarters.
Most distinctively, the soft top stows beneath a metal clamshell tonneau, giving the car a far cleaner profile than the tall folded hoods typical of German convertibles of the period.
Beneath the hood sits Maybach’s 3,790 cc single-overhead-cam inline six, fed by twin Solex carburetors and developing 140 bhp (approximately 138 hp SAE). Drive passes through the Maybach Variorex preselector gearbox, operated via a steering-column preselector combined with a floor-mounted range selector.
Of approximately 520 SW38 chassis produced between 1936 and 1939, around 150 are known to survive, the great majority being Pullman limousines or four-door convertible sedans. Authentic Spohn roadster bodies account for only a handful.
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