DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

You said you wouldn't publish those photos...

Belgian customs brush car. Used to deflect sharp projectiles, dropped from the car being pursued, from puncturing the tyres. I wonder if that’s a Papler Cabriolet Police VW behind it too?!

Fab Rick sun roof too.
I thought I had the only one!

Maybe worked the Belgian border, but they're pre-'53 German plates...

misteralz wrote:Maybe worked the Belgian border, but they're pre-'53 German plates...

Yes sorry I meant Belgian Border, chasing down smugglers.

Must’ve been a thing to throw nails/tacks behind you to burst tyres?

sladey wrote:Must’ve been a thing to throw nails/tacks behind you to burst tyres?

Exactly that… this is a pictures thread but I’m sure Bootsey won’t mind the text to explain these few pics.

"Amokfahrt durch Aachen's Innenstadt!" headlines the Aachen News on 15. November 1951. A Porsche 356 of the German customs investigation had engaged in a spectacular chase with an Opel captain in the West German border town. The occasion: coffee. "Braunes Gold", temptation for smugglers in the border triangle between Germany, Belgium and Holland, a fortune in post-luxury-poor Germany. The police in the Porsche with first 50 hp, later with 70 hp, the gas foot trained on the Nürburgring roller coaster, the passenger, when it came down to it, standing in front of the folded down folding roof for a better firing position. The smugglers armed with pointed tire killers: "crow's feet", bent-welded nails, scattered to shred the rubber of the pursuers. Only one thing helped against this: sweeping.


With two brooms that could be lowered while driving. First they were mounted instead of the bumper, later hidden in the specially extended forward body for better camouflage - the "broom Porsche" was ready. This contributed to an impressive track record until 1954, when the smuggling had massively collapsed due to the state-mandated coffee price reduction. 42 detested persons, 36 seized vehicles, 36,883 kilograms of confiscated goods.

Few more photos of them I have, Including a model. Note they all have fabric sunroofs too, for the passenger to stand through to shoot.

matteo68 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:06 am

Paul Rui's while over in the UK visiting Bruce Cooper...

That's a name I haven't heard in a while! Looks an amazing 928.