Illustrierter Motorsport Magazine Archive Index

In order to keep this blog focused on DKW and IFA I am migrating my posts of East German motoring magazine scans to a new blog archive. Check it out here:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/
Translated articles from those magazines relating IFA vehicles will remain here.

The official magazine of the East German motorsport association. The Illustrierter Motorsport was a fortnightly magazine covering all areas of motor sport, including automobiles, motorcycles and even speedboat racing. There was also a focus on vehicle design and road testing of both domestic and foreign vehicles, along with some political commentary. The association was often critical in its pages of the attempts by the West German authorities to block East German sportsmen and women from competeing internationally.

The magazine was first published in 1951 as 'Motorsport', changing its name to Illustrated Motorsport in 1953. It was a fortnightly publication until 1969, when it became monthly. In 1991 the magazine was rolled into the national 'Rallye Racing' magazine. Early editions are printed on extremely poor quality paper which has substantially deteriorated over time.

1954 Editions:

Volume 1:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_97.html

Volume 2:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_81.html

Volume 3:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_68.html

Volume 4:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_39.html

Volume 5:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_64.html

Volume 6:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_35.html

Volume 7
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_33.html

Volume 8:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_6.html

Volume 9:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_8.html

Volume 10:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_95.html

Volume 11:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_41.html

Volume 12:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_58.html

Volume 13:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_18.html

Volume 14
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_17.html

Volume 15:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_70.html

Volume 16:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_78.html

Volume 17:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_80.html

Volume 18:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_89.html

Volume 19:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_32.html

Volume 20:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_88.html

Volume 21 https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_0.html

Volume 22:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_27.html

Volume 23:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year.html
Volume 24: (missing)

1963 Editions:

Volume 1:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year.html

Volume 2:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_28.html

Volume 3:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-3motorsport-gdr-year.html

Volume 4:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_29.html

Volume 5:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-vol-5.html

Volume 6:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-volume-6.html
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
Volume 11
Volume 12
Volume 13
Volume 14

Volume 15:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_20.html
Volume 16
Volume 17
Volume 18
Volume 19
Volume 20
Volume 21
Volume 22
Volume 23
Volume 24

Kraftfahrzeug Technik Magazine Archive Index

In order to keep this blog focused on DKW and IFA I am migrating my posts of East German motoring magazine scans to a new blog archive. Check it out here:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/
Translated articles from those magazines relating IFA vehicles will remain here.

Kraftfahrzeug Technik was a monthly trade and motoring engineering journal published between 1951 and 1999. Unlike more popular magazines, such as Der Deutsche Strassenverkehr and Illustrieter Motorsport, KFT was a highly technical and scientific publication, specializing in detailed engineering details. In this regard it can be seen as a successor of sorts to the prewar Motor-Kritik trade magazine. And archive of which can be found here:
https://motor-kritik.blogspot.com/2020/01/welcome-to-motor-kritik-1929-1945.html 

1952 Editions:

Volume 9 https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1952-kraftfahrzeug-technik-volume-9.html

1953 Editions:

Volume 9
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1953-kraftfahrzeug-technik-volume-9.html

1955 Editions:

Volume 4
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1955-kraftfahrzeug-technik-volume-4.html

1957 Editions:

Volume 3
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1957-kraftfahrzeug-technik-volume-3.html

1958 Editions:

Volume 9
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1958-kraftfahrzeug-technik-volume-9.html

1963 Editions:

Volume 2
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1963-kraftfahrzeugtechnik-volume-2.html

Der Deutsche Strassenverkehr Archive Index

In order to keep this blog focused on DKW and IFA I am migrating my posts of East German motoring magazine scans to a new blog archive. Check it out here:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/
Translated articles from those magazines relating IFA vehicles will remain here.

Der Deutsche Strassenverkehr (The German Road Traffic) was founded in 1953 in East Berlin. Strassenverkehr was published fortnightly on developments in the automobile and motorcycle industry in the GDR. The magazine survived the fall of the wall and has carried on today as a national automobile magazine, "Auto Strassenverkehr".

1954 Editions:

Volume 6:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-6.html

Volume 7:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-7.html

Volume 9:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-9.html

1955 Editions:

Volume 1:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-1.html

1956 Editions:

Volume 1:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-1_28.html

Volume 3:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-3.html

Volume 8:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-8.html

1962 Edition:

Volume 4:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-4.html

Volume 6:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-6_28.html

Volume 8:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/der-deutsche-strassen-verkehr-heft-8_28.html

DKW Meisterklasse Project Update - Exhaust System

The condition of the car's exhaust system was pretty rough when I bought her. On the dockside, the exhaust gasket returned a positive test for asbestos, leading the car's empounding. At the dockside, my mechanic friends removed the gasket and the asbestos lagging that was connecting the resonator cylinder (box) from the rest of the exhaust pipe. It appears that the pipe had been cut at some point in the past and repaired simply by wrapping asbestos tape around the cut. When I removed the whole exhaust system from the car when it was in storage, I found that the tail end of the pipe was held in place by a piece of canvas rope. It would have been swinging around quite a bit when the car was driving.

What I have discovered as I've slowly restored this car is that Auto-Union were constantly changing and improving the F89P between its introduction in 1950 and its replacement by the F91 in late 1953. This is revealed through the often vast differences between what is published in the owner's manuals and what is actually on the car. For instance, the ignition system was completely changed during the three years of production, starting with a distributor connected to the Dynastart in the earliest manuals, through to the tried and true condensors and breakers of the prewar period - something Auto-Union would stick with until the Munga was retired in 1968. Similarly, the exhaust system was completely changed over the years.

The F7 and F8 models had a straight through pipe from the engine manifold to the rear of the car. For the F89P model however, a resonator box was added. This box - or more accurately, cylinder - was mounted to the exhaust manifold and was designed to reflect the exhaust pressure wave back towards the engine, minimising the loss of fuel mixture as the cylinders were cleared. This simple addition did a lot to improve the performance of these small engines.

The resonator box on my car was in terrible condition, being badly rusted and with several tears and holes. I thought it would be a rather easy matter to have a new one replicated in Perth, but I was wrong. No one wanted to touch it and I was quoted some ridiculous amounts to replicate it... "if we have time." That's the polite way of saying "go away."

So it was back to the markets in Germany, but these parts are hard to find. Also, the box was completely redesigned in 1953 when the four speed gearbox was introduced, as the gearbox was larger and required neighbouring parts to be adjusted to fit. After much fruitless searching, I was referred to Holger Behnke of Old Car Ranch in Spremberg, Germany. Holger manufactures reproduction exhaust systems for DKW and IFA vehicles, but he did not have an F89P exhaust in his inventory, so I sent him the parts and within a week it was done.

The new and the old

I look forward to getting this back in the car.

And now Holger will have an F89P exhaust system in his inventory. You can check out his parts and services online here: http://old-car-ranch.de/

Update 1 June 2023 - It arrives!

The reproduction looks great and is of good, heavy-gauge steel. Thanks Holger!