Veritas - The Story Behind

Veritas was a famous West German post World War II sports and race car company, located at Hausen am Andelsbach, near Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, later at Meßkirch and Muggensturm and moved finally to the Nürburgring.

In 1946, after a failed plan by a British BMW licensee to continue production by bringing the brains of BMW to England, several employees left BMW to form their own company named "Veritas" - Latin for "truth."

Since Veritas was formed and headed by Ernst Loof, the chief of racing operations at BMW, it was a racing-oriented company. The first cars that were produced in 1947 were single-seat Formula 2 racers and competition sports cars. These cars were powered by modified 328 engines, scavenged from any place they could be found.

The first car was used in 1947 by its owner Karl Kling to win at Hockenheim and subsequently become the 1947 German 2-litre champion. After only a few cars were made, following an objection from BMW, the cars became simply known as Veritas.

The first Veritas to be made for normal road use was made in 1949 with the launch of the Komet coupé which was little more than a racing Veritas RS made street legal. It was followed by the more civilized 2+2 Saturn coupé and Scorpion cabriolet.

The company moved to larger premises in Muggensturm in 1949 but were badly under capitalized. New cars were designed using a 1998 cc engine. Over 200 orders were received for the new car but there was not enough money available to buy the components and production came to a halt in 1950 and the company continued in operation until 1952 by making new bodies for Panhard cars.

Ernst Loof moved to the Nürburgring in 1950 and set up a new company Automobilwerke Ernst Loof GmbH and started a new range of Veritas cars. But, money quickly ran out and the final bodies were fitted with Ford or Opel engines. The number of cars made at the Nürburgring is estimated as between 6 and 20.

Although it had several prosperous years of racing in the German Formula 2 races, the Veritas failed in international events when it could not catch newer Ferrari and Maserati racers with their 180-horsepower engines.