Vehicle Description
As the automobile industry grew in conjunction with the aircraft
industry, some overlap between the two was inevitable. Going back
through history, some notable crossovers from aircraft to motorcars
and vice versa include Rolls-Royce, SAAB, Mitsubishi and Bristol.
There have certainly been others some other more obscure ventures,
one of which is the Czech firm Aero. Aero was founded in Praha in
1919 primarily for the manufacture and repair of aircraft. But when
the aircraft business was lean, Aero turned to making motorcycle
side cars, motorcar bodies and eventually, moving to complete car
production. At first, cars were assembled in the Aero Works using
parts supplied by EMKA, however by 1929, they shifted to producing
their own complete car in-house. Aero's first complete automobile
was the Aero 10HP, a cute cyclecar with simple but clever unitary
platform construction and a 490cc single cylinder two-stroke engine
driving the rear wheels. By 1932, Aero's cars were growing larger
and more sophisticated, with the 500, 662 and 1000 models (all
named for their displacement) available as four-seat sedans or
sporty little roadsters. The roadsters, particularly with the 1000
cc two-stroke four-cylinder, proved quite popular in competition.
In fact, Aero enjoyed a fair bit of sporting success within Eastern
Europe and even in major international events such as the 1934
Monte Carlo Rally, where Bohumil Turek scored a third in class in
his Aero 1000. Building on that momentum, Aero introduced the A30
and its larger sibling, the A50, which both featured a
sophisticated independently sprung platform chassis and front wheel
drive. The 50 was a very special machine, a flagship model of sorts
for Aero. Bodies were available from the factory, however clients
could opt for a body from a coachbuilder as well. Automobile
production trickled to a stop following WWII when the Czech motor
industry became nationalized. But Aero continued making aircraft,
and remains in business today as Aero Vodochody. This 1934 Aero 50
is an extremely rare example of this most unusual Czech sporting
car. While little of the earliest history is known, we do know that
this Model 50 was first brought to the United States by an American
serviceman after WWII, and has remained largely untouched since.
This particular car is quite unusual in that it wears a very
attractive coachbuilt body by J. Sodomka, a Czech coachbuilder
known for building lavish bodies inspired by the great French
design houses of the time. This car is also rather unusual in that
it is fitted with a 1971cc OHV inline six-cylinder engine sourced
from a BMW 326. As the Aero 50 is front-wheel drive, the engine is
turned 180 degrees in the chassis, and the fitment appears very
well engineered, most likely done before the car came to the United
States. In speaking with marque experts, we have learned that the
addition of the BMW inline-six was a relatively popular upgrade in
the period, giving the Aero 50 far greater performance than the
standard two-cycle engine could deliver. Some believe that
conversions were done at the factory, and while this has not been
verified, it would go far in explaining the quality of the
installation. Another distinct possibility is that the engine was
fitted at the time the chassis was at the Sodomka coachworks. The
Aero 50 presents today as a partially completed project. The most
recent owner did begin a restoration after the car languished for
many years, however it was left unfinished. The engine appears to
have been restored, and some of the body panels repaired and
primed. Even in its imperfect condition, it is easy to appreciate
the beauty and quality of the Sodomka coachwork. It is a finely
styled machine, very much in the spirit of a BMW 328, Adler Trumpf
Sport or pre-war Riley. Restoration of the body has been started,
though some additional fabrication work on the floors and rear
section would be required. Once completed, however, this would be a
wonderful and intriguing candidate for tours, rallies or shows, as
the twin-carb BMW engine is a delightful and tractable unit. Few
examples of the Aero 50 were sold within the Czech Republic and
even fewer have made it outside of Europe, making this coachbuilt
example an extremely rare sight from this esoteric Czech automaker.
