Kersting-Modellbauwerkstätten

Kersting-Modellbauwerkstätten was a German enterprise associated with industrial design and the production of a small motor car in the early postwar period. It was established in 1949 in Waging am See, Upper Bavaria, by industrial designer and architect Walter Maria Kersting together with his sons Arno, Gerwald, and Rainer. The company initially worked in industrial design, reflecting Walter Maria Kersting's broader professional background and the family's interest in practical, modern forms of product and vehicle design. Its best-known product was the Kleine Kersting, introduced in 1950. The car was based on an original design developed by Walter Maria Kersting in the 1920s and adapted for the postwar market. It used a lightweight plywood body, had no conventional doors, and featured a removable hardtop. The compact vehicle was powered by a two-stroke DKW engine and used a three-speed transmission. These characteristics placed it within the small and economical vehicle concepts that attracted attention in postwar Germany, when manufacturers and designers were exploring inexpensive forms of personal transport amid constrained materials and limited purchasing power. The Kleine Kersting's plywood construction and simplified bodywork reflected both the resource-conscious conditions of the period and Kersting's design-oriented approach. Rather than presenting a conventional full-size automobile, the vehicle emphasized compactness, low material use, and an individual design identity. Its basis in a 1920s concept also illustrates how prewar experimental designs could be revisited after the Second World War and reinterpreted for new economic circumstances. Available reference material documents the company primarily through the Kleine Kersting and does not establish a broad series of later production models, a continuing independent automotive operation, or a detailed corporate succession. The enterprise is therefore best understood as a small, historically notable German motor manufacturer with roots in industrial design, rather than as a large-scale automobile company. Information about its later business activities, production volume, ownership, employment, distribution, and eventual closure is not established in the supplied sources.

Kersting-Modellbauwerkstätten was founded in 1949 at Waging am See in Upper Bavaria. Its founders were Walter Maria Kersting, an industrial designer and architect, and his sons Arno, Gerwald, and Rainer. The company's early activity was connected with industrial design, rather than with the large-scale manufacture of conventional automobiles. This origin is important to understanding the character of its vehicle work: the enterprise emerged from a design practice and family workshop environment, not from an established mass-production car group. In 1950, the company presented the Kleine Kersting, its principal documented motor vehicle. The car drew on an original design created by Walter Maria Kersting during the 1920s. Reviving and adapting that earlier concept in the postwar period connected the vehicle with a longer tradition of experimental small-car design. The car was configured as a compact, economical vehicle with a plywood body, no doors, and a removable hardtop. Its power came from a two-stroke DKW engine, while a three-speed transmission provided the driving system described in the available reference material. The construction and layout of the Kleine Kersting reflected several pressures and opportunities of the postwar German environment. A plywood body could support a lightweight design and reduce reliance on more elaborate body construction. The absence of doors and the removable roof gave the vehicle a distinctive open, minimalist character, while the small two-stroke engine and three-speed gearbox suited the concept of economical short-distance transport. The car was consequently more closely aligned with the era's lightweight microcar and small-vehicle experiments than with mainstream family automobiles. The available account does not document a substantial model range, large production runs, major export operations, or a later transition into a larger automotive manufacturer. It also does not provide reliable information about the company's dissolution or later ownership. Accordingly, the documented history of Kersting-Modellbauwerkstätten centers on its 1949 establishment, its industrial-design beginnings, and the 1950 Kleine Kersting. Further corporate and production history requires additional archival research.

• 1950

  Kleine Kersting introduced

  [1]Kersting-Modellbauwerkstättenen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched the Kleine Kersting, a small car with a plywood body, no doors, a removable hardtop, a three-speed transmission, and a two-stroke DKW engine.

• 1949

  Kersting-Modellbauwerkstätten established

  [1]Kersting-Modellbauwerkstättenen.wikipedia.org

  Walter Maria Kersting and his sons Arno, Gerwald, and Rainer established the enterprise in Waging am See, Upper Bavaria. The company initially focused on industrial design.

A small German postwar motor manufacturer rooted in industrial design, emphasizing compact dimensions, lightweight construction, and economical personal transport.

• Microcar / small motor car · 1950

  Kleine Kersting

  The Kleine Kersting was the company's documented motor-car product, introduced in 1950. It used a lightweight plywood body without doors and was fitted with a removable hardtop. A two-stroke DKW engine supplied power through a three-speed transmission. The vehicle originated from Walter Maria Kersting's 1920s design and represented a compact, minimalist approach to postwar personal transportation.

1. 1Kersting-Modellbauwerkstättenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Deutsche Automarken von A-Zworldcat.org