Founded in 1924 by Friedrich Rometsch, the company was one of many in Europe providing car bodies for customers buying their motor-car in "bare chassis form", complete with an engine, and then employing a coachbuilder to add a custom-built body. By the late 1930s it was becoming more usual to buy the complete vehicle.
Friedrich Rometsch and his son Fritz Rometsch had earned their experience while working for the coachbuilder, Erdmann & Rossi. During the early years most Rometsch car bodies were designed for use as taxis, using mainly Opel chassis. There were also some bespoke bodies produced for private customers. During the Second World War the company switched to manufacturing mobile field kitchens for the army.
Johannes Beeskow, a Rometsch designer who had worked for Erdmann & Rossi during the 1930s, built the first prototype of a four-door sedan in 1950; the donor vehicle being a Volkswagen Beetle in scrap condition. Rometsch took this concept into the production of a taxicab. The wheelbase had been stretched by about 27 centimetres (11 in). Access to the backseats was improved by incorporating suicide doors.
1953 Rometsch Taxi at Wolfsburg AutoMuseum Volkswagen
The Beeskow and the Lawrence were also based on the Volkswagen Beetle, with a Rometsch body. These were named after their designers. Both models were available as a coupé and as a convertible. These vehicles gained awards at the Geneva Automotive Show several times. About 17 examples were built per year.
When sales declined, mainly due to the competition from the mass production of the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, which was 1,500 DEM cheaper and also built on the Beetle chassis, the general director of Volkswagen, Heinrich Nordhoff, stopped the supply to Rometsch. He also prohibited dealers from selling either chassis or vehicles to Rometsch. When Rometsch realised they were selling the Lawrence at a loss, he was forced to cut wages to piece rate.
