1940 Aero 50 Dynamik (Sodomka coachwork)

3102 30 6roadCzechoslovakia

Engine: Two-stroke inline-four, motorcycle-derived, dual carburetors, aluminum head, individual cylinder timing via quad distributor
Colour: Black and red two-tone

The Aero 50 Dynamik is one of six bespoke prewar Czechoslovak automobiles built on a sophisticated platform chassis featuring front-wheel drive, independent suspension, and an unusual two-stroke four-cylinder motorcycle-derived engine. The coachwork was designed and constructed by Joseph Sodomka, drawing heavily on Figoni et Falaschi aesthetics, with flowing bodywork, fender-integrated headlamps, and a dorsal fin. This example, chassis number 5, was delivered in 1940 to František Louda — Olympic athlete and architect — hidden during wartime, later shipped to Colorado, and subsequently restored in the 1980s. It is one of only two surviving examples.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$346,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1940 → 1945Acquisition unknown
František Louda
partial documentation
Former Olympic athlete and architect who drove the car until 1942, then concealed it in a barn after joining the anti-Axis resistance.
1945-12-01 →Private sale
S. Harrison Thomson
partial documentation
University of Colorado professor of Central European history; received the car as a gift from Louda and had it shipped to Colorado, where it remained for roughly fifteen years.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Unspecified successive owners, Arizona desert storage
none documentation
A chain of undocumented owners eventually left the vehicle sitting unused in the Tucson-area desert for approximately a decade.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Don Vogliesand
partial documentation
Seattle-based restorer who led the comprehensive refurbishment in the 1980s, recreating lost original coachwork details; engine work was carried out separately by Mike Fennel of Saugus, California.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—Restoration
Don Vogliesand
Comprehensive restoration carried out after the car was recovered from outdoor desert storage in Arizona. Work included recreating missing coachbuilder trim and badges, refinishing the body in black and red, and fitting a scarlet leather interior with black piping.
Restoration took place in the 1980s; the restorer is based in Seattle, Washington.
—Engine rebuild
Mike Fennel
The two-stroke four-cylinder engine was restored as part of the broader 1980s refurbishment programme.
Work carried out by Mike Fennel of Saugus, California.

Are you the owner of this car?

This car's public record is built from its auction and competition history. Register your ownership and privately add your own records to make it a verified Legacy Metrics passport — provenance that backs your car's value at sale and gives your insurer evidence to price against. Roy reviews and verifies every registration personally.