Hans G. Lehmann

Hans Georg Lehmann (born 1939, in Dessau, Germany) is a retired German photographer who is noted for his spy shots of prototype automobiles whilst they undergo testing stages, frequenting in locations where test sessions are likely to occur. These photographs regularly appear in automobile magazines.

As a result of his success, a number of photographers have followed his example. Because of this, a number of major car manufacturers developed their own testing facilities to prevent people from taking photographs of their secretive prototypes and pre-production cars.

His nickname in the industry amongst others is Handy Hans,carparazzo, car spy, prototype hunter and is widely regarded as a pioneer of the car spy photography and the best known of them all.

Since his retirement in 2008, he continued to run his photo syndication company.

Lehmann was born in the former East Germany. At a young age, his family moved to Wolfsburg where he developed his interest for cars. He later moved to Hamburg in the 1960s, where he worked as a photographer for a news agency and freelanced for daily newspapers. In his break, he frequently visited his parents, usually taking his camera along. Whilst there in 1963, at the nearby Volkswagen factory, he used a 300mm lens to take some photographs of an unusual looking car near the factory. His employer became uneasy about the photographs, and after declining them, Lehmann sold them to the tabloid newspaper Bild for a healthy sum of money. The prototype in question turned out to be a proposed replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle.

He continued to combine his photojournalism with his stint as a spy photographer.

Despite having access to or having their own proving grounds, prior to a launch, car manufacturers test their car model on the open road, making it easy prey for Lehmann, unhindered by trespass laws.

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