In 1946 Karl Bauer, a mechanic of 52 years, finally returned home to his small village outside of Munich after years repairing Nazi tanks and machinery against his will. At last he can see his wife and 3 sons, age 21, 18, and 14. From his years of war, yearning for his family, praying to return home, came a dream: to own a car. Since the Nazi party took over in 1934, and his youngest son was but 2 years old, he could not dream to afford a car and it only got harder as the years went on until 1940 when he was called to war. Now, after 6 years of intense labor with no compensation, he was going to try to buy a car. Of course, in these hard times, money was extremely low and prices were extremely high, so he couldnât afford even the most beat up used car he could find. So what do you do if you canât buy a car? You make one of course! With the help of his 3 sons, 5 years labor, a lot of ingenuity, and a scrapyard full of old tank and truck parts, the Mk. I (very creative) was born. I say born, though if it was a baby, it would be a deformed one, as it was a mishmash of truck and tank parts. But what it lacked in visual flair, it gained back in driving dynamics and engine tuning, because if thereâs one thing he learned from 35 years of being a mechanic, itâs how to tune a car to near perfection. 4.3L I6 which came straight from a military-equiped truck was good for 168 horsepower thanks to twin-carburetors, hand-crafted tubular headers, free-flowing exhaust, and an over-head camshaft system in place of the old OHV system. (As you could imagine, this was the most time-consuming part.) It weighted an incredibly light 2200 lbs. thanks to hand-molded aluminum panels, a hand-built space-frame chassis, and a distinct lack of, yâknow, any safety features. Finally, on November 7 1951, with every member of the town watching, Karl shifted the 3 speed floor mounted shifter into 1st and pulled it out of his barn to everyoneâs applause. (As you could imagine, not many people expected it to even start.) It became the top story in the local news and even got in the hands of a couple reviewers who found itâs incredible driving dynamics refreshing in a world of boring post-war cars. Though it may look like junk to the average person, those in the know would see it on the street and recognize it as the one-of-a-kind Bauer Mk. I, and probably look in awe. However, youâre not going to see it on the street anytime soon, as it has been passed down in the Bauer family for generations and hasnât hit the street since Karl passed on in 1961 at age 67.
To me it looks like the kind of car Jack Bauer could be seen driving around in after he retires from saving the worldâŚ
After reading every single review of his car, (as you would probably if you made one,) Karl realized the business potential for his little project. He took out a huge loan higher than his total net worth and, with the help of 10 newly-hired workers, started the production of the Bauer â52 GT, 52â for 1952, and GT for Gran Turismo. Of course, many modifications were required if he expected a profit, including a reverse-flow muffler, more spacious cabin, (and much more sloped a-pillars and windsheild,) chrome bumpers, 13 inch wire wheels, actual safety features, and a comfortable interior including an AM radio. The vast budget increase also allowed for sporting features, with a 4-speed manual in place of the 3 speed, automatic-locker differential, sport compound 175mm tires, and 2LS front brakes. Even the looks department is vastly improved with chrome everywhere and a vent in the front fender near the indicator. In the first year, 32 units were produced and sold, and a dream turned into a reality turned into a reality far greater than Bauer had ever even dreamed: he owned a car company. (And a profitable one at that.)
By 1955, the company (recently renamed to just âBauer Automobilâ) had evolved into a thriving small business, with about 50 workers and about 20 cars produced each month. Now, with the proper funding, Bauer could produce a vehicle from the ground up, an all-new chassis, an all-new engine, an all-new car. The GT market, your 250GTs, your DB4s, is starting to pop up, and Bauer decides to throw their hat in the ring with the GT V8 Touring. (Very creative name of course.) Built on a galvanised monocoque chassis with aluminum panels, It weighted a quite light 2600 pounds. In combination with a front-mid engine 3.6L 24v V8 making 201 HP, 219 lb-ft of torque, and an automatic locking diff, itâll do a 0-62 MPH sprint in an incredibly impressive 6.7 seconds. (Impressive for 1955.) Mind you this is the heavier touring model, though weâll get to the other variants later. It was also quite a looker too, with the signature Bauer 3 slat grille, chrome details everywhere, 15 inch wire wheels, and dual exhausts. And, despite quite sporty all-around independent suspension, it was decently comfortable and sold very well, with far more demand than the Mk. I.
The next year, in 1956, Bauer decided to launch a newer more sporty version of the GT V8, the Sport. It was improved in all ways, but to start off with power was boosted by 32 (total 233) and torque by 9 (total 238) thanks to drastically increased compression ratio, which was possible thanks to now running on premium 93 AKI fuel. The main difference in the handling department was use of f/r 205/215 radial tires, which were a pricey option on the Touring (yes these cars had options back then, albeit very few) but standard equipment on the Sport. It also had slightly stiffer suspension and weight reduced to 2460 lbs. weight thanks to less safety equipment and removed rear seats. This overall package made for one of the most formidable sports cars of the 1950âs and even formidable drag cars thanks to an impressive by even modern standards 5.9 second 0-60 and 146 MPH top speed.
(Btw the blue marking is what I chose to represent sport models, think of it kinda like an M badge or an Alfa 4 leaf clover.)
And as always I love critique (or just criticism considering Iâm more about mechanics than exterior design) because I always love to know ways to improve my designs 
(I promise this isnât the HA Automotive thread 
)
Looks tasty.
I maaaaay have left the thread alone for a long time, but Iâve been building the brandâs entire portfolio up for half a year (as you can tell by this spreadsheet)
Iâll start updating with pictures and more soon
For many years, few advancements were made in the Bauer lineup. But, by the mid 60âs, the time had come for the GT V8, so in 1964 it received a final edition: the 5.0 Special. Powered by a 3v 5.0 V8, now featuring forged pistons and 3 2-barrel carburetors, it made 319 HP and 332 lb-ft of torque. Tires on both ends were widened by 10mm and the slickest compound rubber money could buy. Weight savings were at -6 pounds, but you must consider that the weight was incredibly similar despite how much larger of an engine it had. This achievement was largely thanks to magnesium wheels, a stripped interior, and 4 wheel disc brakes, which also helped with stopping power for obvious reasons. There were few aesthetic changes, but a 5.0 could be picked out of the crowd thanks to a large (yet subtle) hood scoop, small trunklid spoiler, and larger exhaust tips. All these changes combined for a (quite optimistic) 5.1 second 0-60 time.
The 1968 Bauer CS and CC Series: the first compact car in a long line of compact Bauers
Bauer was looking to expand their horizons in the late 60âs, and their way to do it was introducing a compact car. However, any compact car canât do. It had to be sporty, so every car had a locking differential (limited-slip diffs were not quite commonplace in passenger cars at the time) and somewhat stiff suspension, even the base model. Two bodystyles were made, CS (Sedan) and CC (Coupe), with two models, base and S.
(CS23 base pictured)
Both were equiped with a brand-new 3 valve 2.3L I4 which was surprisingly oversquared for a small car, 92x85 bore/stroke, but obviously the base model was slower. It had twin eco carburetors and an eco-focused camshaft profile, âgoodâ for 105 HP and 128 lb-ft of torque. With the base 5-speed manual, it gets to 60 in a sluggish but decent for the era 9.2 seconds.
(CC23S pictured)
The S model, however, really cemented the C Series as a sport compact legend. The intake was extremely modified, featuring mechanical fuel injection with ITBâs and and performance intake manifold. It also had high-performance camshafts, allowing it a few more rpms, 144 HP and 150 lb-ft of torque. In combination with the highly tuned engine youâll find far grippier tires and far grabbier brakes, solid discs all the way around. Despite a bit of a lack of power, the coupe weighted little of 1900 lbs, allowing 0-60 in less than 7 seconds!
The S wasnât the last to come of high performance C Series though, even in the first generationâŚ