The DFW Car & Toy Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, has added a rare and unusual vehicle to its collection: the 1937 Tempo E200, a three-wheeled utility truck manufactured by Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke of Hamburg, Germany. Produced between 1936 and 1937, only about 9,600 units were ever made, making surviving examples a rarity. The truck is now part of the museum's Ron Sturgeon Collection, painted in classic green and showcasing its unconventional engineering.
Designed for urban work, the Tempo E200 features a front-wheel drive layout powered by a 197cc water-cooled, two-stroke single-cylinder engine producing seven horsepower. Its most distinctive characteristic is the entire front wheel, engine, transmission, and chain drive system mounted as a single pivoting sub-assembly. This design allowed for exceptional maneuverability in tight spaces, such as European alleyways. The truck rides on a central tube frame with a single coil spring at the front and a swing axle with twin volute springs at the rear, complemented by mechanical rear drum brakes.
Practical features include reverse-hinged doors, B-pillar trafficators, a drop-down tailgate, and a functional cargo bed. Inside, the spartan dashboard contains a starter button, trafficator switch, ignition key, and warning lamps, with a three-spoke steering wheel positioned in front of a centrally mounted gear shifter. Ron Sturgeon, founder of the museum, noted, "The Tempo E200 is a rare survivor that showcases the ingenuity of pre-war utility design. It's strange, it's clever, and it's got more personality than vehicles ten times its size."
The museum, located at 2550 McMillan Parkway in North Fort Worth, houses over 200 rare cars and 3,000 collectibles. It offers free admission and parking, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. More information can be found on the museum's website at dfwcarandtoymuseum.com.
This addition underscores the museum's commitment to preserving automotive history and offering visitors a glimpse into the creative solutions of pre-war engineering. The Tempo E200 stands as a testament to the ingenuity of its era, and its presence in the collection provides a unique educational opportunity for car enthusiasts and historians alike.
