VINTAGE CARS SOUTH AFRICA PART 3 of 4

DKW was one of the most famous car and motorbike manufactures in Germany. The history of DKW begins 1902 in Zschopau, Saxonia, with a company manufacturing parts for steam engines, continues with auxiliary motors for bicycles and electric cars and culminates in general motorisation in the fifties. DKW becomes a part of the Auto Union conglomerate, after WW2 it forms part of Mercedes, then of Volkswagen and finally becomes what is now Audi. In the GDR DKW is merged in the Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau and forms the foundation of Wartburg and Trabant, the infamous two stroke cars. Outside germany DKW cars are made under license in South Africa and Brazil to name a few. DKW cars were made from 1928 until 1966.

The F93 was produced until 1959, and was in turn replaced by the Auto-Union 1000. These models where produced with a 1,000 cc two-stroke engine, with a choice between 44 hp (33 kW) or 50 hp (37 kW) S versions until 1963. During this transition, production was also moved from Düsseldorf to Ingolstadt.

The move to Ingolstadt marked a turning point in DKWs history. Ingolstadt is where Audi’s plant is still to this day. Daimler-Benz bought a controlling stake in the company and began looking to diversify the brand. As the F93 was still popular, the company decided to continue production but rebadged under the brand name Auto Union. "Auto Union" and the four rings symbol had appeared on all Auto Union productions, whether manufactured by Audi, Horch, Wanderer or DKW, but no production vehicle had actually been branded Auto Union before. From this point on Ingolstadt products would continue under the DKW brand name while products from the Dusseldorf factory were branded Auto Union. The company began to position Auto Union as the prestige brand.

Despite the introduction of the new name, the DKW F93 and the Auto Union 1000S were basically identical vehicles, although the Auto Union 1000S claimed to have more 'luxurious fittings.' In 1961 DKW upgraded the engine to 981ccs, known as the "Big DKW ." Once again the engine was a winner on reliability, power and fuel efficiency.

Classic Triumph Sunbeam 60's Sports Car © Noleen Kutash