As the seller of this Gläser-bodied 1935 Wanderer W 250 cabriolet points out, there’s a little bit of Wanderer in every new Audi. The builder of medium-priced cars became the fourth ring in Auto Union in 1932, joining Horch, Audi and DKW. The Audi Museum has a few in its collection, but beyond that, we don’t know where you’d go to see another one. That alone makes this an interesting proposition. From the seller’s description:
This 1935 Auto Union Wanderer W 250 is a recent barnyard find in the truest sense. A Southern California man and his son bought the car in 1956, taking it to local shows and parades for the following three years until the engine blew a head gasket. As the owners were a family of engineers and tinkerers, the car was stored in the home barn on blocks, where it was carefully covered and occasionally examined. Like many such projects, though, the Wanderer’s needs were eventually forgotten, and the car sat preserved and more or less untouched in the same barn for the next 50 years. Though it is little known outside of the circles of prewar car buffs and German automobile experts, Wanderer is a historically significant marque that was one of the four brands that joined together in 1932 to form the Auto Union (in addition to DKW, Horch and Audi). The Auto Union’s logo, four interconnected rings, lives on today as Audi’s badge, and is prominently displayed on the grille of this classic W 250. With a straight six engine designed by Ferdinand Porsche and a coachbuilt cabriolet body that features elegant hood louvers, rear-hinged doors, pontoon fenders and a retractable canvas softtop, this W 250 is as wonderfully constructed as it is rare. For the true prewar automobile connoisseur, this car represents an amazing chance to acquire an all original, unrestored and unmolested artifact of the Auto Union legend. We have merely reassembled the car with a box of dissembled parts with which it came. This Wanderer does not currently run and its electrical system is still dismantled, but for the collector who is prepared to undertake some mechanical freshening, this car offers an unparalleled opportunity to present a concours-level preservation class car. This W 250 evidences no rust and panel fit is precise and pristine. The entire cosmetic presentation, from the interior wood paneling and leather to the original paint job, displays a warm patina that speaks to the car’s originality and authenticity. Other than a missing front bumper and replacement hubcaps, this Wanderer W 250 cabriolet is a completely original time capsule presentation that would make a fantastic foundation for an exciting preservation or restoration project.
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