1968 Wartburg Knight Estate - English Brochure

East Germany's automobile industry attempted to break into western automobile markets as early as 1948 with export versions of the former DKW F8 car. This move was initially welcomed as Auto Union - DKW did not have the resources to restart their own automobile production. However, once DKW was re-established in the early 1950s, the company initiated legal action against the East Germans for patent violation. This led VEB-IFA to withdraw from western markets. Once newer vehicles entered the East German market, such as the Wartburg and Trabant, the East Germans tried again. Both the Wartburg and Trabant managed to gain a toe-hold in Britain due to their very low price, but were never a significant competitor with English or continental brands.

It was only after Auto Union retired the DKW brand in favour of Audi, that the East Germans managed to really break back into the British market. As in Germany, there was a hard-core remnant steadfast in their enthusiasm for DKW's two-stroke engines. When DKW was retired in 1965, VEB-Wartburg were in position with their new 353 Wartburg Knight. Powered by a 1000cc triple cylinder two stroke, with an output of 50 horsepower. But these cars were not primitive in the manner of the post-war predecessors; they were modern, with excellent fittings, at an extremely reasonable price. The Knight Estate was particularly popular due to its utility. I know of former owners who fondly remember this car as 'the best car they ever owned' - in the 1980s.


British DKW Club reviews:
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-july-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-sept-nov-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-april-june-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-june-1973.html

1938 DKW SB350 Restoration Update - February 2026

It's been a while since I wrote about by DKW SB350 restoration. In March 2025, after I got the bike back from Kim's, I took it on a couple of short rides, including taking it to Arthur Grady Day in Fremantle on 17 March. The bikes performance was quite mediocre. First gear was nearly useless and speed was slow. I decoked the exhausts, which reduced smoke but that did not improve riding performance. Oddly, the bike became harder and harder to start. When I first rode it, it would fire up after only a few kicks. Consulting with other owners online, I was advised that the gearbox oil/grease mixture described in the original owners manual was too thin and would cause the cork and steel plates to slip. This also explained the poor traction in first and second gear, so I obtained the recommended lubricant - semi-solid grease from Penrite - drained the gearbox and refilled it.

My bike looks pretty shabby, but the engine cases are polished up.

Semi-solid grease is exactly like it says on the tin - think and goopy. The immediate effect was that kick starting improved, so it seems there is more traction on the cork and steel plates. However, gear changing became impossible. One of the problems that Kim and Wayne had highlighted early on was the replacement clutch cable I had purchased at the start of the project did not fit the bike. Why are so many replacement parts crap?!! We were forced to reuse the original clutch cable, which fortunately had tension adjusters at the top and bottom. that allowed me to get the right tension, but being old and stretched, it would slip and loosen very quickly. This exacerbated another problem - the worn out clutch spindle. Here is a video showing how worn out it was.

When the clutch cable is tight, the spindle is held in place, but as the cable stretches, the spindle wobbles all over the place. The problem is that there are almost NO spares for this part. I was searching for a NOS part for almost six months before I managed to get my hands on one. It was very expensive but.... what can you do?

An engineering company in Germany has subsequently begun manufacturing this part. They can now be purchased through ebay.de.

ebay shop: https://www.ebay.de/itm/127467977064

I also bought another clutch cable, which turned out to fit correctly this time. I've put the bike back in Kim's hands to put it all back together. Hopefully this will sort it out - crossed fingers!

Previous update: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2025/05/1938-dkw-sb350-restoration-update-coal.html

August Horch special exhibition - "100 Years of Horch 8. In the Footsteps of a Myth"

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the presentation of the first mass-produced German car with an 8-cylinder engine at the Berlin Motor Show. The Type 303 and 304 were followed by a series of models until the end of the 1930s, which almost became legendary under the ‘Horch 8’ brand due to their quality, reliability and elegance. To mark this occasion, the August Horch Museum is dedicating its special exhibition to this model series, which is so significant for the history of the brand.

 The large, brand-new special exhibition for the "Horch 8" presents 13 very special vehicles with eight-cylinder engines.

100 years of Horch 8. Following the footsteps of a myth exhibition runs from 6.February 2026 to 10.January 2027

For more information, check the website: https://www.horch-museum.de/en/special-exhibition.php

The August Horch Museum is one of Germany's premier automobile museums and a must see when in Saxony.

August Horch Museum Zwickau
Audistraße 7, 08058 Zwickau
https://www.horch-museum.de/en/hours.php

Our visit in 2017 - https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2017/06/august-horch-museum-chemnitz.html
Streamlining Special Exhibition 2023 - https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2023/03/august-horch-museum-exhibition.html
Aerodynamics 2 2024 - https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/august-horch-museum-exhibition-perfect.html

Automobiles of Eisenach

History of the Audi Quattro - Buchan Motorsport

The Buchan Motorsport channel on YouTube produces excellent motoring history videos. Linked below is a series about the development of Audi's most famous cars, the Quattro. Check it out and give the channel the appropriate likes and subscribe. www.youtube.com/@bsport320

Part One - DKW Munga


Part Two - VW Itlis


Part Three - The Creation of Quattro


Part Four - Audi Quattro Coupe


Part Five - Audi V8


Part Six - Audi in 1994 The Golden Years