Hobbyroller, Manhurin or NV?

Stefan Zenker on his NV-70, single saddle.

I happened to stumble on the nice picture above. From a family history published on the internet. The young man sitting on his NV 70 Hobby, yes it's a badge-enginenerd DKW Hobbyroller. A 70 cc big engine with automatic gearing.

The occasion is the graduation day from college for Stefan, before going to the university. This happened in May 1958. Stefan had got the scooter two years earlier through an uncle. The uncle had promised Stefan, then 8 years old, a motorcycle when he was old enough. Stefan always remembered the promise, and when he was 16 the uncle, a teacher, bought the NV Hobby from one of his students. After giving the NV to Stefan, the uncle bought one for himself.

- There was always trouble with the transmission, had to fix it several times. I used to have a spare belt where ever I went. Once I went to a workshop and got the reaction "Shit, one of those", Stefan tells me when we get in contact.

(Here I liked to say that no one in Sweden during the late 50's used the expression "shit").
Stefan also remember that the pull string, instead of a kick start lever, went bust the day after the graduation.

In Sweden the DKW Hobbyroller was sold by Nymans Verkstäder (NV) as the NV 70 Hobby and the NV 72 Hobby, the first with a single saddle and the latter with two saddles. NV was at the time one of Sweden's leading manufactures of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles.

The DKW Hobbyroller was also built under license in France, by Manhurin, the french arms company. They in their turn sold it in the UK, first through the Frazer-Nash company as the Manhurin Hobby. Then by around 1960 by the Diana Conncessionaires as the Manhurin Concorde.

Mighty celebration when Stefan graduated from college.

Stefan's relatives is in the old Mercedes behind him.

An early ride in the autumn of 1957.

Manhurin Concorde in the UK.

The Swedish firm NV from Uppsala had the NV-72 and the NV-70.