Tempelhof

Berliner Motorwagen-Fabrik GmbH emerged in 1901 from the Gottschalk partnership, initially manufacturing at a leased Tempelhof works before moving production to Reinickendorf by the end of 1905. The company concentrated on commercial vehicles under BMF and Tempelhof identities. Its first documented chassis, the 2.5-ton L 50, used a 10 PS twin-cylinder petrol-or-ethanol engine, propeller-shaft drive and was also offered as an omnibus. The distinctive forward-control A.W. 15 Wertheim Type used a low frame, under-seat ethanol engine and belt drive; more than fifty teak-bodied vans with Alfred Messel styling went to the A. Wertheim department store, alongside an 8 PS platform version. BMF also supplied special postal vehicles, delivery vans and independently developed electric trucks, although accessible sources do not preserve reliable model designations for every commission. In 1906 the company became Oryx Motorwerke AG. Oryx subsequently named passenger cars Oryx, heavier trucks Eryx and taxis Berolina, making those successor products separate marque lineages rather than additional Tempelhof models. Dürkopp leased the Reinickendorf operation in 1908 and acquired it in 1911.

Text adapted from “Tempelhof” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗