Interesting DKW Films

A collection of interest historical films.

1938 DKW manufacturing film

This fabulous Danish film from 1938 shows the manufacturing process for knock-down F7 kits by the Danish concessionary, Peterson. Although this film shows the process in Denmark, the process in Germany was much the same and highlights one of the major limitations of Auto-Union - their disorganized and disjointed production process. Wooden bodies were built in Spandau, near Berlin, and then shipped by train to Chemnitz in Saxony and man-handled onto trucks for transport to the factory. There they are placed, one at a time on an F7 chassis that has been customized into a factory transporter and driven up a ramp to the production hall. In the production hall the bodies are mounted on their running gear and finished off. Despite these disjointed processes DKW and Auto-Union operated a production line that was actually better organized than many of their competitors.

1950 - DKW is Back!

DKW ist wieder da! This advert celebrates the return of DKW 1950 with a new car and motorcycle range after the destruction of the Second World War.

1956 DKW commercial: "Only two strokes but still music"

The commercial from 1956 for DKW cars tells about the life of a DKW two-stroke engine. The father of the two-stroke engine was the Dane Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen. He began developing steam-powered cars in 1916. At the same time he dedicated himself to marketing the small motor “Des Knaben Wunsch” – the young boy's dream – an alternative to the toy steam engine. In 1919, Zschopauer Motorenwerke developed it into the first DKW two-stroke engine and made the brand famous with it.

Historic commercial for DKW/Auto Union

Virtually no other brand in the history of AUDI AG has shaped the development of the company more than DKW. For four decades the cars from DKW were an established part of the automotive industry in Germany and beyond.

DKW Junior: The key to your happines

The Junior presented in 1959 was a typical DKW with front-wheel drive and a three-cylinder, two-stroke engine. The design appealed to the tastes of the time and employed unmistakably American style elements, including the impression of tail fins and the shark-like radiator grill. A new plant was constructed in Ingolstadt for production of the Junior. In 1962, this became the first address for Auto Union.

1960 Auto-Union promotional film "Dreams you can buy"

German celebrities, including Elly Beinhorn, pioneering aviatrix and wife of Auto-Union Grand Prix driver, Bernd Rosemeyer, talk about their DKW cars.

1964 DKW F11 and F12 Advertisment

A DKW commercial from 1964 for the compact F11 and F12. The four rings of the Audi badge symbolize the brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, which were combined to form Auto Union.