Tempo (company)

Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH
Public?
Industry Automobiles
Fate production ceased
Founded 1924
Defunct 1977
Headquarters Hamburg
Products LCV (1949–1966), off-road cars (1935–1958), military vehicles (1940s), cars (1934–1957)
Parent Hanomag (1965–1970), Daimler-Benz (1971–1977)
Website No official homepage

Tempo (also known as Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH), was a German automobile manufacturer based in Hamburg. The company was founded by Oscar Vidal in 1924.

The company was well known in Germany, producing popular vans like the Matador and the Hanseat. Tempo also produced small military vehicles during the 1930s and 1940s.

History

Tempo Hanseat

Tempo was founded as Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke in 1924. During the 1940s, Tempo produced small military vehicles. Post-war the requirement of the Bundesgrenzschutz, in West Germany, to acquire a suitable vehicle for Border patrol led to production of the 80" and 86" Tempo from 1953 to 1957. The Tempo 80" and 86" were built using a rolling chassis from Land Rover, but attempts to continue production with the 88" and 109" models were not successful.

In 1958, Firodia Ltd, an Indian manufacturer of cars (later acquired by Bajaj Auto, renamed since 2005 to Force Motors), started the production of Hanseat three-wheeled cars with the collaboration of Tempo-Werke. Later on, Tempo introduced the Matador, which (along with the Hanseat) was extremely popular in India where it was used as goods carrying vehicles. The four-wheeled Matador remained under production by Tempo from 1949 till 1967.

In 1966, Tempo partnered with Hanomag AG, the produced vehicles were sold under the name of Hanomag. From 1967 to 1970 the vehicles were sold under the new name "Hanomag-Henschel". In 1971, Hanomag-Henschel, and within Tempo, was purchased by Daimler-Benz AG. Tempo remained on the production of vans until 1977. From 1966 to 1977, all vehicles produced by Tempo were sold under a different name, either Hanomag, Rheinstahl-Hanomag, Hanomag-Henschel, or Mercedes-Benz.

Various Tempo vehicles were once extremely common as goods carrying vehicle on the streets of Indian cities where the Indian company marketed them.

Licensed production by other companies

Tempo A600, a later version of their first four-wheeled vehicle
1939 Tempo Vidal G 1200
1950 Tempo Matador
Hanomag-Henschel F 20
Tempo Matador F307 built by Force Motors, then Bajaj Tempo was in production till 2000
  • In Spain Tempo Onieva, later taken over by Barreiros, made Tempo Viking vans and light trucks featuring Barreiros diesel engines.
  • In Uruguay Tempo Viking and Matador were made by Germania Motors.
  • In the UK, Jensen Motors made the Tempo Matador too, known as Matador 1500 or Jensen Front Wheel Drive, starting in 1958.
  • In India the Tempo Hanseat remained under production by Bajaj Auto under the name Bajaj Tempo Hanseat from 1962 to 2000 ("Firodia" in latter years).
  • Australia The Jolus Minx 1963-65 F1 car used suspension and cut down drive shafts from the Matador.

Goliath motors ltd in Bremen (Part of the Borgward-group) also produced a threewheeler until 1961, but this was not a version of the Hanseat.

Models

  • Tempo, light commercial vehicles (LCV):
    • T 1, T2 = 1928-1930
    • T 6 = 1929-1935
    • T 10 = 1930-1936
    • Pony = 1932-1936
    • Front 6 = 1933-1934
    • Front 7, 10, 14 = 1934-1935
    • Front 9, 12 = 1933-1935
    • D 200, D 400 = 1935-1936
    • V 600 = 1935-1936
    • E 200, E 400, E 600 = 1936-1937
    • A 200 Resolut = 1938-1940
    • A 600 Titan = 1938-1943
    • A 400 Athlet = 1938-1948
    • Hanseat = 1949-1956
    • Boy = 1950-1956
    • Matador / Mayor = 1949-1952 - 1362 of these vehicles were built using a 25 hp Volkswagen 1100 cc motor and ZF gearbox. The incoming Typ 2 Volkswagen led Wolfsburg to cease supply of the engine, ending the model run and forcing Tempo to return to two-stroke engines.
    • Matador 1000, 1400 / Mayor 1000, 1400 = 1952-1955
    • Wiking / Viking = 1953-1955
    • Wiking 1 / Viking 1 = 1955-1963
    • Matador 1 / Mayor 1 Jensen Tempo 1500 = 1955-1963
    • Rapid = 1957-1963
    • Matador E / Mayor E = 1963-1966
  • Tempo off-road cars:
    • T 1200 = 1935
    • G 1200 = 1936-1943
    • Tempo Land Rover = 1953-1958
    • Daus 214 = 1958
  • Tempo cars:
    • 2/3 Sitzer front 6-14 = 1934-1935
    • Kombinationswagen (400, 600) = 1935-1940
    • Kleinwagen A = 1955
    • Kleinwagen B = 1956
    • Kleinwagen Y = 1957
  • Hanomag production:
    • Athlet, Matador / Mayor = 1966-1967
    • F20 - 36 = 1967-1970(75) (in India as the Tempo Matador)
  • Daimler-Benz production
    • L 206 / 307 = 1971-1977
Tempo Hanseat Flatbed

See also

  • Tempo Dienst -
  • Tempo club Germany (Membership needed) -
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