Eberan von Eberhorst
Encyclopedia
Professor Dr Robert Eberan von Eberhorst (born 23 October 1902 in Vienna
), was a noted Austria
n engineer, who designed the Auto Union Type D Grand Prix
racing car.
persuaded him to join Auto Union as Head of Experimental Work in the racing department.
Silver Arrow Type D (1938/1939) was his work. With a swept volume of three litres in accordance with the then F1, the supercharged V12 rear-mounted engine could develop 480 bhp which obviously contributed to the Grand Prix victories of Tazio Nuvolari and Hermann Müller. Eberhorst was heavily involved in the initial testing of each new racing car, developing an on-board recording instrument to plot parameters such as car speed, engine speed, gear change and braking points. He gained his doctorate in 1940 and from 1941 was appointed to a full professorship at Dresden Technical University.
he was involved in the design of the Tiger tank
and initial testing of the V1/V2 rockets. In 1947, in an old sawmill in Gmünd, Austria, Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry and Eberhorst started work on project 356, which evolved into the famous Porsche 356
sports car.
Eberhorst was by now recognised as one of the world's premiere racing car design theorists, so in 1949 he moved to Dunstable, where he worked for ERA
on the Jowett Jupiter
chassis, and then in 1950 to Aston Martin
to design a pure sports-racing car, the DB3, his brief being to produce a car that would be quick enough to give the 2.6-litre straight six a chance of outright wins. Whilst at Aston Martin Eberhorst published an article in the Automobile Engineer entitled “Roll Angles”. This theoretical study followed Maurice Olley’s paper “Road Manners of the Modern Car” and established ex-Rolls-Royce engineer Olley and Eberhorst as two of only a handful of engineers capable of mathematically defining the essential factors in car handling. Eberhorst’s contribution was to show how the several constants in Olley’s complex equations could be established experimentally.
In 1953 Eberhorst returned to Germany as General Manager for Technical Development at a reviving Auto Union. In 1956 he moved to the Battelle Institute in Frankfurt as Head of Mechanical Engineering and four years later he took over responsibility for the Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering Institute at Vienna University. He retired from there in 1965 although continuing to author important technical papers. He died in 1982 in his native Vienna.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
), was a noted Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n engineer, who designed the Auto Union Type D Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
racing car.
Life
Born into Austrian nobility, the family shortened its name when the nobility was abolished in Austria in 1918. He studied at the Vienna Technical University until in 1927 he joined the Institute for Automotive Engineering at Dresden Technical University as an assistant. In 1933 Dr Ferdinand PorscheFerdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer and honorary Doctor of Engineering. He is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle , the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche automobiles...
persuaded him to join Auto Union as Head of Experimental Work in the racing department.
Silver Arrow Type D
The design of the Auto UnionAuto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
Silver Arrow Type D (1938/1939) was his work. With a swept volume of three litres in accordance with the then F1, the supercharged V12 rear-mounted engine could develop 480 bhp which obviously contributed to the Grand Prix victories of Tazio Nuvolari and Hermann Müller. Eberhorst was heavily involved in the initial testing of each new racing car, developing an on-board recording instrument to plot parameters such as car speed, engine speed, gear change and braking points. He gained his doctorate in 1940 and from 1941 was appointed to a full professorship at Dresden Technical University.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was involved in the design of the Tiger tank
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and initial testing of the V1/V2 rockets. In 1947, in an old sawmill in Gmünd, Austria, Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry and Eberhorst started work on project 356, which evolved into the famous Porsche 356
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 was the company's first production automobile. It was a lightweight and nimble handling rear-engine rear-wheel-drive 2 door sports car available in hardtop coupe and open configurations. Design innovations continued during the years of manufacture, contributing to its motorsports...
sports car.
After World War II
After WW2 the Italian Piero Dusio decided to build racing cars, bringing in the engineers Dante Giacosa and Giovonni Savonuzzi from Fiat and Piero Taruffi to manage the racing team. When it was time to attack the GP circuits, Carlo Abarth and Robert Eberan-Eberhorst were employed. This project went sour when the designers proposed a flat 12 four-cam engine with the possibility of supercharging and even four-wheel drive plus Eberhorst’s usual requirements for proper jigs, test-beds and tooling; his view was that races are better lost on the test-beds then they can be won on the tracks.Eberhorst was by now recognised as one of the world's premiere racing car design theorists, so in 1949 he moved to Dunstable, where he worked for ERA
English Racing Automobiles
English Racing Automobiles was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954. Currently the ERA trademark is owned by a British kit-car manufacturer.-Prewar history:...
on the Jowett Jupiter
Jowett Jupiter
The Jowett Jupiter was a British car made by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford from 1950 to 1954. Following the launch of the all new Jowett Javelin and its successes in competition Jowett decided to use its power train in a sports car for export in the hope of increasing their inadequate...
chassis, and then in 1950 to Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
to design a pure sports-racing car, the DB3, his brief being to produce a car that would be quick enough to give the 2.6-litre straight six a chance of outright wins. Whilst at Aston Martin Eberhorst published an article in the Automobile Engineer entitled “Roll Angles”. This theoretical study followed Maurice Olley’s paper “Road Manners of the Modern Car” and established ex-Rolls-Royce engineer Olley and Eberhorst as two of only a handful of engineers capable of mathematically defining the essential factors in car handling. Eberhorst’s contribution was to show how the several constants in Olley’s complex equations could be established experimentally.
In 1953 Eberhorst returned to Germany as General Manager for Technical Development at a reviving Auto Union. In 1956 he moved to the Battelle Institute in Frankfurt as Head of Mechanical Engineering and four years later he took over responsibility for the Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering Institute at Vienna University. He retired from there in 1965 although continuing to author important technical papers. He died in 1982 in his native Vienna.