1949 Aero Minor II

Aero is not in any way related to Auto-Union, but there is a connection. The Aero Minor was actually designed and developed by the Jawa company, which got its start in the automobile business when they secured an exclusive license to manufacture the DKW F2 in Czechoslovakia in 1933. Shortly after production started in earnest in 1934 the relationship between Jawa and the newly founded Auto-Union soured and the two companies went their own ways. Jawa went on to develop their own range of cars, powered by a two-cylinder two-stroke engine derived from the 700cc DKW template. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2021/02/jawa-700.html

In 1939, at the same time Auto-Union was working on the DKW F9 project, Jawa was working on a completely new vehicle with an in-house designed twin-cylinder two-stroke of 615cc. The new car, called the Minor II, featured a modern ponton body, making it a much roomier and more practical vehicle than the F9. When one of the DKW F9 pre-production cars broke down on a test drive through Czechoslovakia (Bohemia) in 1940, the car was towed to Jawa dealership for repairs. Jawa engineers managed to take a sneaky peek at their competitor and reported back to Prague that the Minor II was a far superior vehicle.

Of course, the Minor II could not go into production until after the war. Like Germany, Czechoslovakia's industries were stripped for reparations by the Soviets. The new socialist government recognized that the Minor II was a good, modern car but Jawa was in no position to begin manufacturing, being focused on motorcycles. Aero, which had started life as an aircraft company in 1919, had been manufacturing their own two-stroke engined cars since 1924. In 1947 they were still building the handsome Aero Type 30, but as the Minor II had better export potential, the government instructed Aero to take over production of the Minor.

The Aero Minor II proved to be a success domestically and in the export market, being sold all over Europe. It came in a variety of styles, including as a commercial. The model was even developed into a racer. The car was in production until 1952.

In the postwar period, Jawa became a specialized two-stroke motorcycle company which exported its products widely. https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2022/07/1950-jawa-350-motorcycle.html

1936 Aero Type 50

One of the inherent problems with two-stroke engines was that the larger the cylinder capacity, the less efficient the engine became. DKW struggled to lift the capacity of their twin-cylinder engines much above 700cc. A rebored 1100cc twin cylinder engine was developed but its performance was deemed so 'sloppy' that it was relegated to industrial use only.

In Czechoslovakia, Aero and Z developed twin-cylinder two-stroke engines of 1 litre capacity that generated power in the 30 to 50 horsepower range, far in excess of the DKW 700cc engine's meagre 18-20 horsepower. This was the developmental limit for a twin-cylinder two-stroke, so both Aero and Z addressed the problem by adopting four-cylinder two-stroke engines of 2 litre capacity. This engine was used in their premium vehicle range, the Aero Type 50.

Aero was so confident about the soundness of both their twin and four cylinder engines that they expected to license their manufacture back to DKW, who were at the time struggling to develop the two-stroke triple. Unfortunately, these plans came to nought when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938. Both Aero and Z had their production curtailed by the National Socialist's Schell plan and they were diverted to military production.

1934 Jawa 700

The first DKW manufactured under license outside of Germany was the Jawa "700" ,assembled in the F. Janecek arms factory on the outskirts of Prague. Engineer and entrepreneur, Frantisek Janecek, was no stranger to the Saxon automotive industry having taken over the license to manufacture the Wanderer “K 500” motorcycle in 1929. The new motorcycle was sold under the name Jawa, a contraction of the first two letters of Janecek’s surname and Wanderer. In 1932, Janecek expanded his foothold in the automobile industry by forging links with Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, owner of DKW.

On 20 July 1933 Frantisek Janecek obtained exclusive distribution and manufacture rights for the DKW F2 “Reichsklasse” and “Meisterklasse” models in Czechoslovakia. License fees were set at 160 Czech crowns per car. The contract included Auto-Union's assistance to establish a production line in Czechoslovakia along with ongoing transfer of all DKW innovations and developments of their front-wheel drive car. In exchange, Auto-Union would receive a financial return equal to 25% of the royalties paid by Janecek.

In early September 1933 the DKW plant in Berlin-Spandau shipped six wooden bodies of the “F2 Meisterklasse” (“Typ 701”) to Prague, while the corresponding chassis were delivered by the plant in Zwickau (Audi). In accordance with Janecek's suggestions, the bodywork and chassis had been lengthened, increasing the 2.60m wheelbase of the “Front” to 2.70m. It was during this development phase that the first of many problems arose between Jawa and Auto-Union. Janecek was a very hands-on technician and made direct contact with various Auto-Union factories and their subcontractors in order to personally assess the quality of their components and calculate the quantities of parts required. This led to complaints and skirmishes with Auto-Union management as some of the plants had not been informed of the terms of the license. In a December 1933 letter to J.S. Rasmussen, Janecek complained about the difficulties he was encountering writing, "I have the impression that your collaborators are sabotaging our agreements and that they do not have the desire to help realize our cooperation".

The reason for the tense relations with Auto-Union lies in the fraught relationship between Rasmussen and the new management of Auto-Union which would lead, in April 1934, to Rasmussen being first sidelined and then fired from the company. During the negotiations leading to the creation of the Auto-Union group, Rasmussen had reserved the right to personally grant manufacturing licenses for DKW’s front-wheel drive cars and he had negotiated the licensing agreement with Janecek personally, entrepreneur to entrepreneur. Auto-Union attempted to turn a blind eye to the arrangement, forcing Janecek to threaten the company with legal action in order to honor its commitments. Due to these shenanigans, vehicle production was delayed, and it was not until the summer of 1934 that manufacture of the Jawa 700 really commenced. At the launch Janecek addressed the automotive press declaring, “An armaments factory presents the perfect conditions for automobile production. It has a technical manufacturing apparatus, perfect machine tools and perfectly trained qualified staff. Moreover, automobile production in an armaments factory benefits from knowledge of materials and the availability of test benches and laboratories.”

The first Czech-built cars were delivered in August 1934 and were basically a copy of the DKW Meisterklasse Typ 701, differing in only a few minor details. Apart from the 2.70m wheelbase and 18'' rims in place of the DKW's 19'' ones, the Jawa 700 had one additional feature - a mechanical starter of in-house design. In the event the Dynaster failed, the driver could pull a handle located under the dashboard to pull start the engine via a cable attached to the left side of the crankshaft. Jawa advertising proudly stated" "The original DKW does not have a mechanical starter." The Jawa 700 was initially available only as a convertible sedan (Cabrio-Limousine).

Under the terms of the license agreement Auto-Union was obliged to transfer to the Czechs details of technical improvements to their DKW Front range, however, Jawa was not informed of the development of the new, improved DKW Meisterklasse Typ F4, which hit the market in 1934, prompting Janecek to write again to Rasmussen, "I ask that the technicians of your three factories keep me informed as soon as possible of the technical improvements concerning the “Meisterklasse” type because production will begin here shortly and it would be detrimental to our interests if we produced a model that is already outdated.” However, by this time Rasmussen was already on the way out and unable assist. Janecek therefore drew the inevitable conclusion that Auto-Union were unwilling to assist developing what they perceived as a competitor.

From here on Jawa cars began to develop independently. Unlike its German counterpart, the Jawa 700 received all-steel bodywork and more modern fittings than its cousin. The front fenders were stretched, and the spare wheel was mounted beneath an opening rear luggage lid. In addition to the classic sedan, a convertible sedan and a very small number of “2 + 2” roadsters entered the range.

While the chassis, engines and gearboxes were produced in Nusle (Prague), bodies were produced at the Solnice factory under the direction of Janecek’s son. It was also in this factory that the final assembly was carried out. Given the degenerating relationship with Auto-Union, it is not surprising to note that the number of Czech made components increased over time, although a number of parts, such as Dynastarts, continued to be imported from Germany. In February 1936, Auto-Union made an F5 Meisterklasse available to Janecek for testing because he had expressed the wish to adopt the new chassis and “Schwebeachse” (floating axle). Ultimately however, this development did not progress.

Jawa goes its own way

After several years of obstructionism, Auto-Union finally adhered to the terms of the license agreement and at the end of February 1937 made the plans of the new F7" type available to Janecek. In June of that year Janecek declared that he did not wish to continue manufacturing the DKW Meisterklasse under license. In fact, in the meantime, a new model had been designed at Jawa independently of the DKW Front program. This new car had a 615cc twin cylinder two-stroke engine but arranged longitudinally instead of transversely. The gearbox was located behind the block and new gimbals developed by Hanns Jung were adopted. This new car would take the name Jawa Minor. The Jawa Minor was a popular small car and remained in production until 1941. From stockpiled components, 710 cars were assembled in 1945. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1938-jawa-minor.html

Despite German prohibition on civilian car development during the war, development of a new Jawa model progressed discretely. The new car, the Jawa Minor II continued to use the same engine but received a modern steel pontoon body. In 1941, while on a test drive through Czechoslovakia, one the DKW F9 test cars broke down. It was towed to the Jawa factory for repairs. Jawa’s engineers made a careful study of the erstwhile partner’s new car while it was in their possession. Likewise, DKW’s test drivers examined the new Jawa. Both sides felt their car was superior.  

After the war Czechoslovakia’s automobile industry was nationalized and manufacture of the Jawa Minor II was assigned to the Aero company, going on sale as the Aero Minor II in 1946. Aero itself had manufactured its own range of popular two stroke powered cars since the 1920s, but that is another story. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1949-aero-minor-ii.html

The Aero Minor II in the foreground at the 1947 Prague Motor Show was gifted to Soviet Premier, Josef Stalin on his birthday. Unlike the production variant, Stalin's car featured a chrome radiator grill and a lot more trim. He was also gifted a Sodomka bodied Tatraplan at the same time. The Soviet leader never drove either car and both have survived. The Tatraplan can be seen at the Tatra Museum in Koprivince, Czechia. The story of Stalin's Aero can be found here: http://ceautoclassic.eu/aero-minor-the-birthday-gift-to-stalin/

Behind the Aero is a Skoda 1101 and at rear of the display, Aero's other product, the Aero Ae-45 light passenger plane. An example can be seen as the Transport Museum in Dresden.
https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2019/10/verkehrsmuseum-east-german-transport.html

1934 Jawa 700: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1934-jawa-700-brochure_17.html
1934 Jawa 700: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1934-jawa-700-brochure.html
1935 Jawa 700: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1935-jawa-700-brochure.html
1938 Jawa Minor: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1938-jawa-minor.html
1939 Jawa Minor: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1938-jawa-minor_16.html
1939 Jawa Minor Cabriolet: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2022/07/1938-jawa-minor-cabriolet.html

Jawa 350 motorcycle: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2022/07/1950-jawa-350-motorcycle.html