DKW - Germany's Post-war Wonder Car

1941 saw the beginning of major changes at Auto-Union. Under instruction from the Nazi government, all new private vehicle development was officially stopped. Audi had already ceased vehicle production in 1940 and now Wanderer followed. In the hopes of obtaining a military contract, the Central Design Office initiated a heavy truck project. The Horch 1500 was unveiled in 1942 but only a small number were built as the Nazi government preferred to stick with standardized models. Auto-Union was instructed to build 1.5 ton trucks of a Steyr design, SdKfz half-tracks and, from 1943, the Raupenschlepper Ost (caterpillar tractor for Eastern service). DKW's Zschopau engine plant increased production of stationary engines for use as electrical generators for army use, but otherwise DKW civilian car and motorcycle production continued unhindered until late 1943 when all German industrial capacity was directed to the war effort. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-new-auto-union-truck-motor-und.html

DKW never built vehicles for the Wehrmacht but as the war progressed some were commandeered for military use and were inevitably destroyed.

The war proved a disaster for Auto-Union, as for Germany. Wanderer's Siegmar factory was completely destroyed by bombing, while the Audi-Horch plant in Zwickau was badly damaged. DKW's Zschopau factories however, survived intact but as Auto-Union's factories were designated by the Soviets as category one military facilities what wasn't destroyed was seized as war reparations. Soviet engineering corps systematically stripped every plant of any usable equipment and shipped it back to the USSR. 
A display of war damage from the August Horch museum in Zwickau. This is a Horch general purpose truck.
 
Some Auto-Union senior management were arrested by the Soviet occupation authorities for war crimes - the Horch plant had housed a small forced labour camp - and shipped them off to the Soviet Union to serve their sentence rebuilding that shattered country. This led to an exodus of management and skilled technicians to the west, but even there, prospects were bleak. Germany was in ruins everywhere and the Allies were determined that the country would be de-industrialized. German technology and patents were seized and distributed among the Allies. DKW's famous RT-125 motorcycle for instance was soon to reappear in foreign markets as the BSA Bantam, the Harley-Davidson Hummer, the Moskva 125 and a dozen other names.
 
It didn't take long for these plans to unravel however. All the European powers were exhausted by the war and could barely meet the needs of their own people, let alone the defeated Germans. Slowly but surely, the Allies permitted German industries to be resurrected to meet the country's basic needs, such as manufacturing pots and pans, household goods, and agricultural tools.

As relations between the Soviets and the Western Allies began to deteriorate, the Western Allies came to realize that an economically dependent Germany would be a millstone around their neck and its unemployed and demoralized workforce susceptible to Communist propaganda. Rebuilding a strong German nation was felt to be the best form of defense against the so called 'Red Menace.' In 1947 West Germany's international rehabilitation and economic recovery got underway with a boost from the Marshall Plan. Millions of dollars in aid was poured into the country, commandeered patents and designs were returned, and the country began to stagger back onto its feet. 

Post War Recovery
The largely empty shells of Auto-Union's Saxon factories were nationalized by the East German government s in 1947 so a new company was registered in West Germany in 1948 under the name 'Central Depot for Auto-Union Spare Parts.' The new company provided spare parts and servicing for the 60,000 DKW cars still registered on the road in Germany. From this small start the company raised a small amount of capital and began planning the company's return to car manufacture. The company's extremely convoluted and confusing resurrection is covered in detail here:
https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/05/collapse-and-reconstruction-history-of.html.

Almost immediately plans to restart vehicle construction were underway. Germany needed to get back on its feet so DKW focused on building a light commercial vehicle. DKW's prewar commercials had been basically standard sedans with modified bodywork, but engineer Kurt Schwenk designed a completely new type of vehicle that would become the template for all light commercial vans to this day.
 
A pre-war DKW Meisterklasse commercial van in post-war Holland.

Schwenk maximized the opportunities provided by DKWs small, transversely mounted engine and front wheel drive. He rotated the engine 180 degrees so that it was now placed ahead of the axles and pushed the cab forward, over the engine, effectively creating what we know as the 'cab over engine' layout. This concept had first been demonstrated in the Horch 1500 truck of 1942. The advantages of the design are quite obvious. Additionally, its low, flat floor, unhampered by a drive shaft, allowed a wide variety of body styles, from simple flat tray with drop sides, panel van, half panel and mini-bus. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-development-of-dkw-schnellaster.html

By today's standards the Schnellaster, or 'rapid delivery van', is strikingly modern looking with its sharply sloping, streamlined cab and pressed steel body, but it was radically new in its day and set a design standard for light commercials. Within a year a dozen companies would release similar vehicles.

Released in 1949, the F89L Schnellaster was the right vehicle at the right time and was soon being exported all across western Europe. Demand was such that DKW licensed production of the Schnellaster to Imosa in Spain, where they became so ubiquitous that delivery vans in Spain came to be known as DeeKaVees. The name Schnellaster or 'rapid truck' was something of a misnomer though as the original 688cc 3-speed engine gave the van a maximum speed of only about 70 kilometres per hour. In 1952 it received a 4-speed gearbox which lifted the speed to about 80-85 kph. The engine was upgraded to the 3 cylinder engine 900cc engine in 1956. Over 28,000 Schnellasters were built during its production run.

This contemporary photos shows how the layout of the engine maximized usable space. The whole engine bay includes the fuel tank, radiator and engine. The black rectangle opposite the fuel tank is the radiator. which is cooled by a fan on the left hand side of the vehicle. In fact, the 'grill' at the bottom had no function. The engine is almost completely invisible in the photo, only the air filter being visible peeking over the front grill.

A DKW 3=6 in BBC livery. The Schnellaster was exported all across western Europe and as far away as Australia, South Africa and South America. They were built under license in Spain, South America, Argentina and Brazil.

The 'F9' is Reborn

In 1950 DKW unveiled the F89P New Meisterklasse saloon.The genesis of this car, nominally the successor of the pre-war DKW F9, owed a great deal to an amazing stroke of luck.

Of the dozen or more pre-production F9s built during the war, all were either destroyed or permanently lost to Auto-Union. An unsuccessful attempt had been made to smuggle one of the cars to the western zone in order to distribute the company's assets. That car, formerly belonging to Technical Director William Werner, had been damaged in a bombing raid in Berlin in February 1944 and was not running. It was trucked to the Auto-Union office in Hamburg for repair but spotted by a British engineering team, who recognized it as a new type and seized it for evaluation. The car was shipped to Britain and later to Australia, where it disappeared. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2017/07/1939-dkw-f9-prototype.html

The new Auto-Union was stuck with its prewar technology in the form of the F8 engine and chassis. Brief consideration was made whether they should recommence production of the prewar F8, but this was soon discounted as DKW's Spandau bodyworks in Berlin was not easily accessible. Besides, by 1948, Auto-Union's former plant in East Germany, now nationalized as IFA, had been resurrected and begun selling their version of the F8. It appeared that the new Auto-Union would need to design an entirely new car from scratch. Kurt Schwenk, having just designed the new Schnellaster van, started work on a modern, pontoon bodied sedan, notionally called the FX. The project made good progress initially, but would soon be derailed. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-dkw-fx-would-be-successor.html

With the dealer network clamoring for a passenger car, DKW agreed to a joint-venture with the Baur Karosserie to build steel bodies on Auto-Union's stockpile of F8 chassis. The new car was designated the DKW F10 and went on sale in 1949.

For the story of the short lived F10, see here: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2017/07/dkws-forgotten-model-dkw-f10.html

While all this was going on, the new Auto-Union company was re-establishing links with Auto-Union's prewar suppliers and service providers. One of these was the Allgaier tooling company in Uhingen. In 1940, DKW contracted Allgaier to manufacture body presses for the new F9's steel body. Unknown to Auto-Union, Allgaier had partially completed the contract before the war intervened and both Allgaier and Auto-Union were diverted to war production. DKW's presses had been moved to a storage yard and were lucky not to have been scrapped to meet Germany's desperate need for steel. Auto-Union executives were therefore surprised to hear that the F9 body presses were still there, lying in Allgaier's steel yard. Although they had been exposed to the weather and neglect for nearly ten years, Auto-Union eagerly recovered them and had them restored.

Auto-Union did not however, have access to the F9's three cylinder 900cc engine so they compromised by mounting the new body over the F8 chassis and two cylinder 688cc engine. The streamlined modern bodywork made the car look sleek, but despite some tweaking of the engine to get it up to 23HP, it was a little under-powered. It should be noted that the 1940 900cc engine only performed marginally better at 28HP. With its three speed gearbox the car was optimistically rated to about 90 kph. The new 'Meisterklasse' was available as a two-door limousine, convertible, coupe or estate wagon.

The engine bay of a DKW F89. The little two cylinder engine sits transversely at the front of the engine bay like in prewar DKWs. However, the engine and gearbox have been rotated 180 degrees so that the engine sits ahead of the axles. It was a small change but substantially increased space inside the cabin. The column running through the radiator housing is the gear shift column, which is mounted in the centre of the dashboard.


The F89P Meisterklasse was an extremely popular car, selling over 60,000 units. It must be remembered that these were the lean years of the German Miracle. The economy was only just beginning to recover and people could not afford expensive cars. Established auto companies like BMW, who returned to the market with their large prewar cars almost went bankrupt for want of customers. BMW barely managed to save themselves through sales of motorcycles and the Isetta microcar. The Meisterklasse, although powered by an engine only marginally larger than its microcar competitors, at least offered customers the comforts, styling and appearance of a bigger, modern car.

F91 - DKW's rally champion
In mid 1953 the Meisterklasse received a new four speed gearbox, improving its top speed somewhat. These four speed cars were primarily exported while German customers had to make do with the three speed. But later that same year DKW introduced a significantly new option for the model - the three cylinder 900cc engine. Cars with the new engine were designated the F91 Sonderklasse, but otherwise the two models were visually identical. For six months the Meisterklasse and Sonderklasse were sold together, before the Meisterklasse was withdrawn. The new three cylinder engine gave a sharp increase in horsepower to 40 hp and could push the car up to 115kph.

The engine bay of the DKW 3=6. The engine is now mounted longitudinally. Everything in the engine design was simplicity - there was no water pump, no petrol pump and each cylinder had its own condenser coil, which gave the engine built in redundancy.

The F91 carried forward the handsome styling of its predecessor but it was its new engine that guaranteed its success. The F91 had great acceleration and, combined with its sure footed front wheel drive, proved to be a successful rally car. The F91 was a market winner in its class and sold over 76,000 cars. http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/dkw-f91-dkws-record-breaking-rally-car.html

Despite its small size, the 3=6 was an outstanding engine that was both powerful and economic. It helped push the DKW team to victory in the 1954 European Rally Championship. The marketing department of course made the most of it.

The 'Big DKW' - the quintessential DKW

In 1956 the F91 was substantially redesigned, stretched, widened and re-styled and released as the F93. The new model performed well in rallying, but not as successfully as its smaller predecessor. Following the introduction of new European safety regulations in 1957, the original rear hinged suicide doors were replaced with modern front hinged doors. Over 176,000 F93s were sold by time the model was retired in 1960. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-big-dkw-36.html

The F93 was 10cms wider and 6cm longer than its predecessor.


The Power of the Two Stroke

After DKW's rally victories in 1954, two race drivers, Guenther Ahrens and Albrecht Mantzel, developed a customised racing model on a 3=6 chassis, with tuned engine and a lightweight fibreglass body. The car set five world records for speed and endurance in 1956. Limited production of the sports coupe followed, with DKW supplying the chassis and engines and Ahrens and Mantzel organising bodies and fittings. The best estimate is that 70-80 cars were built before Auto Union stopped supply in 1958. http://www.dkwmonza.de/

Prestige in its day. Collectors item today.

The Swinging Sixties

This contemporary street scene in southern Germany shows a broad cross section of the autos on the roads. We can see a BMW-Isetta micro-car, a Mercedes, plenty of Volkswagens, a couple of DKW Juniors, several Opel Rekords, a DKW Schnellaster, a Gutbrod van, a Hanomag van and a couple of Ford Taunus'.

As the end of the decade approached DKW was struggling to update its designs. As popular as it was, the DKW F93 was almost twenty years old and was beginning to look it.

Ingolstadt's cabinet of curiosities. Full size mock ups of a range of new DKW models that never saw the light of day.

After failing to capitalize on the microcar boom of the mid 1950s, DKW unveiled their brand new small car in 1959. Designated the DKW F11 'Junior', the car was DKW's first with a monocoque body. The car was powered by a new 791cc 3 cylinder engine and modern contemporary styling that appealed to the youth market. Production of the new car commenced at a new factory in Ingolstadt.

The nippy little Junior came a two door sedan, coupe, and convertible and was a popular seller in Germany and overseas. 118,000 cars were sold.

The resurrection of Auto Union

The introduction of the Junior and the move of all vehicle production to Ingolstadt marked a turning point in DKWs history. Daimler-Benz had bought a controlling stake in the company in 1957 and wanted to to use the company as a budget brand to help Mercedes-Benz break into the US market. The DKW Junior had been a critical part of that strategy and, although it was a popular seller, it was not enough to keep DKW in the black. The need to balance the books led Daimler to shut down DKW's Dusseldorf vehicle plant, where the F93 and Schnellaster van were manufactured. The plant was sold to Mercedes-Benz and a revised Schnellaster 1000, now powered by a Mercedes-Benz four cylinder engine began to roll off the production line. F93 production at Dusseldorf ceased but a restyled version, now badged the Auto-Union 1000 recommenced at Ingolstadt.

The Junior and Auto Union 1000S share a showroom. Note the price tags on the license plates.

The Auto-Union 1000 range included a number of varieties, differentiated by slightly different fittings and trim. In 1961 the engine was upgraded to 981ccs, imaginatively called the "Big DKW 3=6." Once again the engine was a winner on reliability, power and fuel efficiency. 84,000 cars were built.

The F93 and Auto Union 1000S side by side. The differences are basically confined to trim and badges.

Thunderbirds are go!!

The Junior and 1000S continued in production through the early 1960's, but public tastes were changing and car companies needed to constantly update their styles to retain customer interest. In 1957, Auto Union had released the 1000SP. The chassis and engine came directly from the sturdy 1000s, but the body was a cross between the DKW Junior and a Ford Thunderbird. This sleek and exciting sportscar certainly gets enthusiasts' hearts racing nowadays, but 1960s Germany was not 1960s America and the model flopped. Production numbers were low and they are highly sought after today. http://www.ritzsite.nl/DKW1000SP/01_SP.htm

In 1960 DKW released the F12, an upgraded version of the Junior. The F12 inherited the old 896cc engine of the F93 which gave it a little more kick, and it featured a new automatic oil lubrication system called the Lubrimat. The Lubrimat, which had been been introduced to reduce the stigma of mixing two-stroke petroil,failed to work as expected and resulted a wave of engine failures. It was a public relations disaster for DKW and sales plummeted.

Bizarre Swedish advertising - "Look, it has wheels!"

The Age of Square 
By the middle of the decade Auto-Union was in serious trouble. The Lubrimat and F12 debacle had damaged DKW's reputation. Times had changed and two-stroke motors were increasingly seen by the buying public as an outdated technology. Daimler-Benz had been pressing Auto-Union to abandon two-strokes, but the Auto-Union engine design studio remained convinced that a new, efficient two-stroke with fuel injection would be a game changing new technology. Daimler-Benz allowed the engine project to continue, but decided to take a hand in the development of the long awaited Auto-Union 1000 replacement. They provided a Mercedes-Benz body study and a flat four boxer engine to the Auto-Union design team. The result was the handsome F102, a mid sized contemporary styled sedan. The boxer engine however proved to be a failure so rather than postpone the project while Mercedes ironed out the engine problems, Daimler-Benz relented and allowed Auto-Union to install their latest 1130cc two-stroke engine. The F102 proved to be a relative success and managed to claw back some some of DKWs market share. In two years slightly over 52,000 cars were sold.

There was nothing small car about the F102. It did a lot to improve DKWs image after several disappointing failures.

The Mercedes team returned to Auto-Union in 1965 with a new four cylinder four stroke motor and work on the F102's successor began. The DKW F103, as it was originally designated, was planned to go on sale in 1966. Before the car was ready however there would be dramatic changes at the company. Daimler-Benz had been leasing factory space at Ingolstadt to Volkswagen for Beetle production since 1965 and had observed that more Beetles were leaving the factory than DKWs. It was an obvious sign that DKW was a lost cause, so Daimler-Benz made the decision to sell Auto-Union to Volkswagen. The F103 project was ready so Volkswagen management decided to let it proceed, but insisted that the DKW name be dropped and the car was rebadged as an Audi, starting anew that lineage of prestige cars that continues to this day. http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/audi-f103.html

The shape of things to come - Audi F103.

Although Volkswagen didn't know it yet, it would be DKW-Auto Union's front wheel drive technology and heritage, rather than Ferdinand Porsche's rear wheel drive, air cooled technology that would take Volkswagen forward. By the early 1970s sales of the Volkswagen Beetle were terminally declining so Volkswagen management decided to rebadge Audi's new A50 as the Volkswagen Polo. It was the beginning of the end for Porsche's peoples car and a new direction for Volkswagen.