#AmbiBudd

Ambi-Budd was a German manufacturer of pressed-steel car bodies, based in Berlin-Johannisthal and active primarily between the 1920s and 1940s. It originated as the German branch of the American Budd Company, a pioneer in all-steel body construction. The German subsidiary was established in a former aircraft plant and became a major supplier to manufacturers such as BMW, Adler, and Ford Germany. Ambi-Budd introduced industrial-scale steel pressing technology to German automobile production, allowing for lighter, stronger, and more cost-effective bodywork at a time when many cars still used wood and hand-formed panels. The company is best known in the BMW context for supplying the standard steel roadster body of the BMW 328, produced between 1936 and 1939. These bodies were delivered as complete pressed shells to BMW’s Eisenach plant for final assembly. While a small number of 328s were later fitted with special aluminum bodies by coachbuilders like Touring, the vast majority retained Ambi-Budd's original pressed-steel coachwork. During World War II, Ambi-Budd shifted to military production and its facilities were heavily bombed. Located in the Soviet sector after 1945, the plant never resumed large-scale automotive activity. Ambi-Budd remains historically significant for its role in standardizing steel body production and for its contribution to the industrial legacy of prewar German car manufacturing.

We'll tell the story of this company on the occasion of its anniversary or when it will reach a sufficient number of cars.

If you would like to share your knowledge and archive, click on the banner JOIN THE LAB - HELP US TO IMPROVE & COMPLETE THE INFORMATION.

The census of all the cars related to this topic is in progress.