Vintage Photos Of Two-Faced German Microcar Zündapp Janus From The Late 1950s

Zündapp was a German manufacturer of motorcycles that was founded in 1917. Zündapp collaborated with Porsche in the development of the Volkswagen car and after WWII the company manufactured one car of its own, the Zündapp Janus.

h/t: vintag.es

In 1957, Zündapp produced their first and only car, the Janus. This was a microcar, often referred to as a bubble car. Zündapp had commissioned Claude Dornier, an aircraft designer, to design a futuristic bubble car in 1954.

It was originally called the Delta, but the name was changed to Janus after the Roman god who faced both forwards and backwards. The Zündapp Janus had front and rear windscreens, with the driver and front passenger sitting on a bench seat facing forwards and the rear passengers seated the opposite way at the back, looking at the road already driven on. Just under seven thousand models were produced between 1957 and 1958.

Zündapp closed due to bankruptcy in 1984.