The newly reestablished Auto-Union GmbH returned to automobile construction in 1949 with the DKW Schellaster commercial, a vehicle well suited to the immediate needs of a ruined Germany, followed by the RT125 light motorcycle later in the year. In a newly established factory in Düsseldorf, leased from Borsig and rebuilt in a hurry, the new F89P or "Meisterklasse" sedan cars began rolling off the production line in early 1950. Although Auto-Union had limited production capacity at this time, they felt it was important to introduce a semi-commercial on the Meisterklasse platform.
DKW F89U Universal
In 1951 a semi-utility vehicle called the "Universal" entered the range. The Universal was built on the F89 Meisterklasse platform, but as the company did not have the necessary steel panel presses, the rear body was contructed of plywood paneling on a wooden frame. The car's roof was also constructed as a wooden frame over which a plywood roof with leatherette weather-proofing was formed. The car had windows all round and the rear seats could be folded down, allowing the vehicle to be used as a light delivery van. To maximise useable space, the spare wheel was stored in a locker under the rear floor that was accessible via a hatch when the rear door was open.
https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/05/1952-dkw-meisterklasse-universal.html
The following year Auto-Union introduced a steel-bodied station wagon called the Stadtlieferwagen, literally "urban delivery car." The large sheet metal side panels were without windows, as was the rear door, which provided a large surface for advertising.
The rear load space and the driver's cabin were separated by a vertical partition and there was a small space for light hand luggage behind the folding front seats. The load volume was 1560mm long, 1150mm wide and 985mm high, almost 2m3.
The engine remained the well-known 700cm3 2-stroke twin-cylinder inherited from the prewar F8. Changes to the engine, such as a new aluminium head providing a higher compression a ratio of 6.3 to 1 and a new downdraft carburetor delivered 23 hp, provided a top speed of 93km/h. A duplex chain carried the drive from the engine to multi-disc oil bath motorcycle type clutch to a 3-speed gearbox driving the front wheels.
The chassis was a welded assembly of rectangular profile frames, upon which transverse leaf springs were mounted at the front and rear. The front axle had new suspension triangles while at the rear was the famous floating axle popularized by DKW from the early 1930s. As on the F89P sedan, all 4 brakes were hydraulic, those at the front being duplex type. Unlike the sedan, which was equipped with 5.20 x 15 tyres, the station wagon received, larger 5.60 x 15 tyres.
As on the very first Universal the roof of the station wagon was wood with imitation leather as Auto-Union did not have presses large enough to be able to form a sheet of such size. In 1953 the station wagon received a new grille and a 4-speed gearbox, although customers still had the option of ordering the old version with only 3 speeds.
Despite the station wagon’s cheaper price, most customers opted instead for the Universal as it was a more versatile proposition. With the rear seats folded down, the Universal carried an almost identical payload, and when folded up was able to comfortably transport 4 or even 5 passengers.
DKW Sonderklasse F91 Universal
In 1953, the "F91 Sonderklasse" succeeded the "F89P Meisterklasse" and the factory decided to continue producing a station wagon on this new base. The F91 station wagon externally looked identical to its predecessor, including its distinctive grille, however, the real difference was under the hood where the old 700cm3 twin-cylinder engine was replaced by an 896cm3 three-cylinder engine, putting out 34hp. German magazine 'Motorrad-Welt' wrote: “In recent years there has been much talk of a 3-cylinder DKW engine. Few remember that they saw it before the war, others claim to have seen it here and there on the highway, but today it is here. A 3-cylinder in-line, placed longitudinally in front of the front axle, developing a respectable 34 horses from its 900cc and giving the DKW a speed that many cars of larger displacement could envy. Its flexibility and its mode of operation are those of a 6-cylinder 4-stroke. The Dynastart has been replaced by a dynamo placed to the left of the engine, driven by a belt. A separate starter actuates the engine by means of a ring gear. The ignition is placed in front at the end of the crankshaft. The engine is water-cooled with a belt-driven fan. The power curve of this engine is defined by the use of an inverted Solex carburetor and a perfectly tuned exhaust system but also by combustion chambers designed to ensure a homogeneous air-petrol mixture. From all this follows an extremely low fuel consumption considering the power delivered.” https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2018/03/dkw-sonderklasse-universal-brochure.html
Despite the advent of the more powerful F91S, the F89S model continued as a budget offering for one more year, finally disappearing from the range in 1955. However, only 182 examples were built during the model's entire four year production run.
In 1955, the appearance of the station wagon changed, as did that of the standard “Sonderklasse” sedan. The headlights were moved slightly towards the outer edges of the front fenders, suggesting that the car had been enlarged, which was not in fact the case. Later that year however, the new "Grosse DKW 3=6" was introduced with a body enlarged by 10cm. Auto-Union continued to produce the "Universal" and the station wagon with the old body until in 1957. The dashboard however was now made of sheet metal and no longer of plywood. The fuel filler hole is now hidden under a hatch to the right behind the passenger door.
The DKW F94U Univeral
In 1957 the "Sonderklasse Universal" was succeeded by the F94S. Equipped with the new 900cc 40hp engine and the Grosse DKW's 10cm longer body, performance and payload significantly exceeded that of the old F91S. The double rear door had also been replaced by a single door opening to the left. As sales of the F91S had been relatively low, the factory gave up planning a specific body for the station wagon, contenting itself with "plugging" the side windows of the "Universal" with metal sheets. The interior layout of the Universal being preserved, allowing the owner to transform his station wagon into a 4-seater sedan by raising the folding rear seats. Sales for this model remained extremely low so when the Auto-Union 1000 appeared in 1962, the station wagon was abandoned.
When the Dusseldorf factory was sold to Mercedes-Benz as part of a rationalization of Auto-Union facilities in 1959, production of the F94 Universal (and F94 four door sedan) effectively ceased. A stock of F94 chassis were transferred to Ingolstadt where they trickled off the production line through to into 1960. The Universal remained on the model catalogue until the stockpile was exhausted, but continued to be a poor seller in Germany. They were however relatively popular in overseas markets, such as South Africa, and most were exported. The Universal was also popular in South America and many thousands were built by DKW's Brazilian subsidiary, DKW-Vemag.
DKW-Vemag began building the F91 Universal in 1954 and followed DKW model styling until 1960, when Vemag models began evolving their own style. Called the Vemaguet, it would remain in production until 1967 when Volkswagen took over the company.
Examples of the few survivors
Audi Tradition's 1952 DKW F91U is a regular attendee at classic events in Germany. It is also the template for this 1.43 scale model https://www.super-hobby.com/products/DKW-Meisterklasse-Universal.html
This unrestored F89U is in Germany.
This 1951 F89U was used as a bakery delivery vehicle until 1975. It for sale (as at January 2021). https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/dkw-meisterklasse-universal-f89-woody/1416298030-216-1918
This restored F91S is in Austria.
This F91S is in Sweden.
This unrestored F91S came up for sale in March 2021. If you compare the headlight placement of the three F91S models with the F89U models you will see that the headlights have been moved outward towards the wings in the F91s as described in the story. Just a small optical illusion to make the later car seem wider.
Another F91U
A very finely restored F91S being used as a promotional vehicle.
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