This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (now say that five times, fast). Having been to this event on several occasions, I found myself spending more time seeking out stuff I didn’t recognize.
Initially, I wrote this off as a Speedster kit-car, but it was noticeably shorter in length than a 356, and was adorned with badges I hadn’t seen before.
After seeing more than one in the paddock, I figured it was worth some digging.
The Denzel 1300 and 1500s you see here were competitors to Porsche in the early days. In a similar fashion, they were powered by modified Volkswagen drivetrains and built as affordable sports cars. The Denzels were comparable in performance to the 356 thanks to their shorter wheelbase and lighter weight, but suffered a lack of development thanks to pressure from Volkswagen, whom allegedly were unhappy with the market competition with Porsche.
Production ended in 1960 with triple digits never having been reached, and only a handful are known to have survived. It’s wonderful to have seen three of them out and about, especially at a venue such as this.
If you have any more info (or corrections) on these cars, or have a source for it, share below!