Those seeking a unique automobile can look no further than the Aero 50 Dynamik, a series of six similar but custom automobiles built by the prominent prewar Czechoslovakian firm Aero. These used a platform chassis with independent suspension, front-wheel-drive, and a motorcycle-type two-stroke four-cylinder engine; the engine has dual carburetors, an aluminum head, and a quad distributor with four sets of points, so that each cylinder is individually timed.

On this state-of-the-art, wildly engineered platform was a no less avant garde body, drawn and executed with abundant flair and no shortage of Figoni et Falaschi inspiration by Czech coachbuilder Joseph Sodomka. With its sweeping lines, baroque curves, “envelope” fenders, and exquisite detailing, including headlights blended into the tips of the fenders, stylized Sodomka monograms on the spats, and a dorsal fin on the rear deck, it was as spectacular an automobile as the former Czechoslovakia ever built.

THE ARIZONA DYNAMIK

The history of the six Dynamiks is recorded by Karel Jicinsky in his book, Automobily Aero a jejich doba (“Aero Automobiles and Their History”). Car number 5, that which is offered here, was originally delivered to František Louda, a former Olympic hammer thrower and champion amateur boxer, turned prominent carpenter and architect, who received it in 1940 and proceeded to use it until 1942. That year, he joined the Resistance to the invading Axis Powers, and perhaps wisely chose to hide his eye-catching automobile in a barn.

Following the war, Louda gave the Aero to his friend, S. Harrison Thomson, a professor of Central European history at the University of Colorado. In December of 1945 Thomson had the car shipped to Colorado, where it remained for nearly 15 years. A succession of owners followed, eventually placing the car in the Arizona desert near Tucson, where it sat for nearly 10 years in the dry desert climate.

In the 1980s the car was rescued and fully restored to its present condition, with much of the restoration work undertaken by Don Vogliesand of Seattle, Washington, who was able to recreate the missing original Sodomka trim and badges. The car was refinished in a stunning black and red livery, with a matching black-piped scarlet leather interior facing a beautiful French-inspired dashboard. The engine was restored by Mike Fennel of Saugas, California. Not unsurprisingly, the fascinating Dynamik attracted much attention in the Western press, including features in the June 1990 issue of Road & Track and the December 1985 issue of Classic & Sports Car.

A stunning creation not seen in public in recent years, the “Arizona” Dynamik is one of two extant, the other of which is in a permanent museum collection. Thus, this marks the only opportunity for the connoisseur of fascinating engineering and Art Deco design to acquire Sodomka’s coachbuilt fantasy. It is a testament to the sheer amazing things that can come from the most unlikely places.