Hans G. Lehmann
Encyclopedia
Hans Georg Lehmann is a retired German
photographer who is noted for his spy shots of prototype automobile
s whilst they undergo testing stages
, frequenting in locations where test sessions are likely to occur. These photographs regularly appear in automobile magazine
.
As a result of his success, a number of photographers have followed his example. Because of this, a number of major car manufacturers developed their own testing facilities to prevent people from taking photographs of their secretive prototypes
and pre-production car
s.
His nickname in the industry amongst others is Handy Hans, carparazzo
, car spy, prototype hunter and is widely regarded as a pioneer of the car spy photography and the best known of them all.
Since his retirement in 2008, he continued to run his photo syndication company.
where he developed his interest for cars. He later moved to Hamburg in the 1960s, where he worked as a photographer for a news agency
and freelanced for daily newspapers. In his break, he frequently visited his parents, usually taking his camera along. Whilst there in 1963, at the nearby Volkswagen
factory, he used a 300mm lens to take some photographs of an unusual looking car near the factory. His employer became uneasy about the photographs, and after declining them, Lehmann sold them to the tabloid newspaper Bild for a healthy sum of money. The prototype in question turned out to be a proposed replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle
.
He continued to combine his photojournalism
with his stint as a spy photographer.
s, prior to a launch, car manufacturer test their car model on the open road, making it a prey for Lehmann, unhindered by trespass
laws.
Commonly he frequented Death Valley
or in desert areas in the United States
, Australia
or North Africa
in the summer, as well as Alaska
or Scandinavia
in the winter, where car manufacturers frequently test there for temperature tolerance. He also frequents Nürburgring
.
Although secretive about his sources, they are employees of car manufacturers, some of whom have had their contract terminated as a result. Lehmann's other sources are informant
s, including those in petrol stations and hotels.
Lehmann's most important piece of equipment is a ladder. Aside from his camera, his other important equipment is a 1000mm lens
and a motor drive
. In his job, Lehmann never works on his own, he is assisted by a minder
who operate their hire car
. He also sits in a tree if possible, which resulted in him being injured when spying on a testing session of a Ford Sierra
at their test track
in Cologne
.
His biggest scoop of all was the Volkswagen Golf
, on a public road in Spain in 1973, its Mark II
in Arizona
, and the Mark III
in Austria
. His other best known shots were of the Ford Sierra
, and the Ford Mondeo
at a gas station in Las Vegas, Nevada
whilst staking out Death Valley.
It is not uncommon for Lehman to face hostilities from car manufacturers and has faced police arrests in his career. He was detained overnight once in Algeria
for espionage charges for a photograph of an Audi 100
.
Due to its high development costs in the midst of a competitive market, these testing sessions are intended to be as secretive as possible to prevent competitors gaining an advantage and sometimes developing a similar vehicle of their own. It has become a common practice for car manufacturers to mask details of their prototypes to make the car very difficult to be recognised, sometimes using "protection cars" that drive alongside the test car to block the view of the prototype from photographers. Aside from the motoring press, Lehmann's photographs have appeared in the German news magazine Stern
.
Manufacturers have also resorted to placing the badge of a rival manufacturer in an attempt to foil photographers like Lehmann, and sometimes placing engines and suspension systems inside the bodyshells of rival manufacturers.
, Volkswagen
, Rover
and Porsche
have unsuccessfully attempted to take legal action against Lehmann for industrial espionage
. As a result of his and other photographer's activities who followed his example, car manufacturer have became more secretive, some resorting to developing their private testing sites. Renault
for example, used a secret rocket-testing site for cold weather testing in Kiruna
, near the Arctic Circle
in northern Sweden
. Audi conduct their tests on their own proving ground
, their cars clad in full-cover canvas blankets. Private testing facilities make it difficult for photographers to enter the site without authorisation.
Volkswagen in the mid-seventies have attempted to have Lehmann's driving licence suspended, alleging that he drove dangerously
and blocked a road while photographing one of its prototypes, when it was revealed that one of the car manufacturer's test driver
had blocked the road.
Rover attempted to obtain a High Court
order to search the house of one of his British associates, citing a breach of copyright.
He currently resides in the outskirts of Hamburg in a house by the River Elbe with his wife and business partner, Christa, also a photographer. His favourite cars amongst his collections are the Porsche 911 Speedster
and the Mercedes S-Class Coupe.
He published a book in 1985 titled Testfahrer und Autospione: Abenteuer mit geheimen Automobilen (Test Drivers and Car Spies: Adventures with Secret Automobiles).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
photographer who is noted for his spy shots of prototype automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s whilst they undergo testing stages
Test drive
A test drive is the driving of an automobile to assess its drivability, or roadworthiness, and general operating state. A person who tests vehicles for a living, either for an automobile company or a motorsports team, is called a test driver....
, frequenting in locations where test sessions are likely to occur. These photographs regularly appear in automobile magazine
Automobile magazine
An automobile magazine is a magazine with news and reports on automobiles and the automobile industry. Automobile magazines may feature new car tests and comparisons, which describe advantages and disadvantages of similar models; future models speculations, confidential information and "spyshots"...
.
As a result of his success, a number of photographers have followed his example. Because of this, a number of major car manufacturers developed their own testing facilities to prevent people from taking photographs of their secretive prototypes
Development mule
A development mule or a test mule in the automotive industry is a vehicle equipped with experimental or prototype components for testing. Automakers evaluate aspects of vehicles before a full pre-production car is built to find problems. Mule cars are drivable, often years ahead of actual production...
and pre-production car
Pre-production car
Pre-production cars are vehicles that allow the automaker to find problems before a new model goes on sale to the public. Pre-production cars come after prototypes, or development mules which themselves are preceded by concept cars...
s.
His nickname in the industry amongst others is Handy Hans, carparazzo
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
, car spy, prototype hunter and is widely regarded as a pioneer of the car spy photography and the best known of them all.
Since his retirement in 2008, he continued to run his photo syndication company.
Biography
Lehmann was born in the former East Germany. At a young age, his family moved to WolfsburgWolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
where he developed his interest for cars. He later moved to Hamburg in the 1960s, where he worked as a photographer for a news agency
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
and freelanced for daily newspapers. In his break, he frequently visited his parents, usually taking his camera along. Whilst there in 1963, at the nearby Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
factory, he used a 300mm lens to take some photographs of an unusual looking car near the factory. His employer became uneasy about the photographs, and after declining them, Lehmann sold them to the tabloid newspaper Bild for a healthy sum of money. The prototype in question turned out to be a proposed replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
.
He continued to combine his photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
with his stint as a spy photographer.
Secrecy
Despite having access to or having their own proving groundProving ground
A proving ground is the US name for a military installation or reservation where weapons or other military technology are experimented or tested, or where military tactics are tested...
s, prior to a launch, car manufacturer test their car model on the open road, making it a prey for Lehmann, unhindered by trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...
laws.
Commonly he frequented Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
or in desert areas in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in the summer, as well as Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
or Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
in the winter, where car manufacturers frequently test there for temperature tolerance. He also frequents Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
.
Although secretive about his sources, they are employees of car manufacturers, some of whom have had their contract terminated as a result. Lehmann's other sources are informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
s, including those in petrol stations and hotels.
Lehmann's most important piece of equipment is a ladder. Aside from his camera, his other important equipment is a 1000mm lens
Telephoto lens
In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a telephoto group that extends the light path to create a long-focus...
and a motor drive
Motor drive
A motor drive, in the field of photography, is a powered film transport mechanism. Historically, film loading, advancing, and rewinding were all manually driven functions...
. In his job, Lehmann never works on his own, he is assisted by a minder
Minder
A minder is a person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e...
who operate their hire car
Car rental
A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
. He also sits in a tree if possible, which resulted in him being injured when spying on a testing session of a Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
at their test track
Ford Proving Grounds
Ford Motor Company operates several proving grounds worldwide, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.For Ford/Mazda Proving Grounds in Japan see Mazda Proving Grounds- - Wittmann, Arizona:Latitude and Longitude: The opened in 1985...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
His biggest scoop of all was the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
, on a public road in Spain in 1973, its Mark II
Volkswagen Golf Mk2
The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 succeeded the Mk1 as Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in production until late 1992. In comparison to its predecessor, its wheelbase grew slightly , as did exterior dimensions . Weight was up accordingly by about...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and the Mark III
Volkswagen Golf Mk3
The third-generation Volkswagen Golf Mk3 was a car launched in Europe in November 1991 , and in North America in the spring of 1993. The delay in North America was due to Volkswagen's decision to supply U.S. and Canadian dealerships with Mk3 Golfs from the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico...
in 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...
. His other best known shots were of the Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
, and the Ford Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
at a gas station in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
whilst staking out Death Valley.
It is not uncommon for Lehman to face hostilities from car manufacturers and has faced police arrests in his career. He was detained overnight once in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
for espionage charges for a photograph of an Audi 100
Audi 100
The restyled C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with an in-line five-cylinder engine...
.
Due to its high development costs in the midst of a competitive market, these testing sessions are intended to be as secretive as possible to prevent competitors gaining an advantage and sometimes developing a similar vehicle of their own. It has become a common practice for car manufacturers to mask details of their prototypes to make the car very difficult to be recognised, sometimes using "protection cars" that drive alongside the test car to block the view of the prototype from photographers. Aside from the motoring press, Lehmann's photographs have appeared in the German news magazine Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
.
Manufacturers have also resorted to placing the badge of a rival manufacturer in an attempt to foil photographers like Lehmann, and sometimes placing engines and suspension systems inside the bodyshells of rival manufacturers.
Legal issues
Manufacturers such as BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, Rover
Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
and Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
have unsuccessfully attempted to take legal action against Lehmann for industrial espionage
Industrial espionage
Industrial espionage, economic espionage or corporate espionage is a form of espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of purely national security purposes...
. As a result of his and other photographer's activities who followed his example, car manufacturer have became more secretive, some resorting to developing their private testing sites. Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
for example, used a secret rocket-testing site for cold weather testing in Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
, near the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
in northern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Audi conduct their tests on their own proving ground
Proving ground
A proving ground is the US name for a military installation or reservation where weapons or other military technology are experimented or tested, or where military tactics are tested...
, their cars clad in full-cover canvas blankets. Private testing facilities make it difficult for photographers to enter the site without authorisation.
Volkswagen in the mid-seventies have attempted to have Lehmann's driving licence suspended, alleging that he drove dangerously
Reckless driving
Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...
and blocked a road while photographing one of its prototypes, when it was revealed that one of the car manufacturer's test driver
Test driver
In motor sports it is common to have one or more test drivers that work with the mechanics to help develop the vehicle by testing new systems on the track.-NASCAR:...
had blocked the road.
Rover attempted to obtain a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
order to search the house of one of his British associates, citing a breach of copyright.
Recent times
Lehmann reportedly announced his retirement in April 2008, but continued to run his picture syndication company, Lehmann Photo Syndication.He currently resides in the outskirts of Hamburg in a house by the River Elbe with his wife and business partner, Christa, also a photographer. His favourite cars amongst his collections are the Porsche 911 Speedster
Porsche 911 classic
The original Porsche 911 was a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. The famous, distinctive, and durable design was introduced in autumn 1963 and built until 1989...
and the Mercedes S-Class Coupe.
He published a book in 1985 titled Testfahrer und Autospione: Abenteuer mit geheimen Automobilen (Test Drivers and Car Spies: Adventures with Secret Automobiles).