DKW can be the acronym for “Dampf-Kratwagen” (Steam Car), “Des Knaben Wunsch” (Young Man’s Dream) or “Das Kleine Wunder” (Little Wonder). This triple response has its explanation.
Rasmussen had studied engineering in Mittweida and Zwickau before settling in Chemnitz in 1904 and founding, together with a partner, the company “Rasmussen¬Ertz. In October 1906, Rasmussen buys a textile company in Zschopau and land in the nearby Dischau Valley, where he moves the company a few months later. On April 13, 1907, he registered the company in the commercial register with himself as sole owner.
DKW’s father, the Danish engineer Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen (1878-1964)
The company’s activity is described as the manufacture of machinery, metal products and their accessories. Specifically, these are valves for steam boilers, as well as ignition devices and machines for peeling and cleaning vegetables.
Circa 1909, the company offers steam recovery systems, fabric cleaning equipment, oil centrifuges, boiler primers and systems for steam installations. All this indicates a certain degree of specialization in steam technology.
Steam engine tests
In 1916, Rasmussen works on a steam car project to deal with fuel shortages. To do this, he hires the services of an engineer named Mathiessen, with extensive experience in the design of steam vehicles in the United States, before World War I. Mathiessen would first design a truck and then a passenger car.
But the works would not be successful because the amount of water that could be transported in the vehicles was quickly consumed. So they discontinue this project at the end of the war.
“Des Knaben Wunsch” is the name attributed to a small toy engine that he conceived in 1919. And as for “Das Kleine Wunder”, it refers to a two-stroke engine intended for bicycles, and which paves the way for manufacture of a real motorcycle in the year 1924.
And this bike is a real success: in less than five years, DKW is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, which is no stranger to its successes in competition.
The P1 from 1928, the first DKW car
But the car remains a pending issue for Rasmussen. Thus, in 1928, he presented the P15, a rear-wheel drive car powered by a two-stroke motorcycle engine. And that same year, he buys a small brand in a difficult economic situation. It’s called Audi…
And in 1931 he brought out the F1 (The “F” for Frontantrieb), a front-wheel drive, as its name indicates. Thus, three years before Citroën launched its Traction, DKW already mass-produced a car with a front-wheel drive engine, an architecture that would be a constant in all its models until 1966, when the brand disappeared. By the way, these engines will be, until that end, two-stroke.
The 1965 DKW F102 to be renamed Audi 60
But let’s go back. In 1932 the financial crisis ends with several brands. Those who want to survive must regroup. This is how Auto Unión was born, bringing together Horch, Wanderer, DKW and Audi, attributing a segment to each brand: for DKW, that of small cars and motorcycles.
In the mid-1930s, four thousand eight hundred cars left the chains every month. But the drums of war are already being heard, and in 1939 production will be geared towards military vehicles.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, the Auto Union headquarters in Chemnitz remained on the eastern side, under Russian control. But the group’s leaders are in the west, trying to relaunch the DKW brand in Ingolstadt.
The iconic Meisterklasse
At first, in war-torn Bavaria, production focused on spare parts for cars still on the road. But little by little the idea of making a new car took shape, first a cargo vehicle, but then a sedan, the emblematic F89 P Meisterklasse. The problem is that the original factory located in the Soviet zone is still active. Thus, in the Democratic Republic of Germany, the IFA F9 arises, obviously inspired by the F89 P. The IFA will later become MZ, focusing on the production of motorcycles.
Speaking of inspiration, the DKW two-stroke engine (largely the work of engineer Adolf Schnürle) will serve as a starting point for several post-war brands: Saab, Trabant or even Yamaha.
The DKW prototype of 1917 c, with a steam engine
Sonderklasse, three worth like six
In 1953, the Sonderklasse premiered a three-cylinder two-stroke. It is baptized as «3=6», since it wants to convey the idea that it offers performance equivalent to a six-cylinder four-stroke. Although it is somewhat optimistic, the truth is that this 900 cc with 34 HP of power allowed the Sonderklasse to perform better than the Volkswagen Beetle of the time. The Sonderklasse was very attractive in terms of looks, mechanics and behavior, but its price of 6,000 marks in Konrad Adenauer’s Germany was quite high for most buyers.
The Munga 4×4
In 1956, DKW conceives the famous Munga. As its full name indicated, Mehrzweck Universal Geländewagen mit Allradantrieb” or 4×4 off-road vehicle for multiple uses, it was a 4×4, with a two-stroke engine, of course, designed for the army. It will be a complete success because when production ceases in 1968, no less than 46,000 units have left the chains.
The Munga 4×4 was designed for military use and would have a long life.
The Marshall Plan and the working capacity of the population made possible the economic miracle that led the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to become, in the late fifties and early sixties, the great world power we know.
In the year 1959, Mercedes takes control of DKW. More practical and less expensive than previous models, the Junior F10 captivates families, while the 1000 SP coupé is highly attractive with its Ford Thunderbird-inspired line. Thanks to the Junior F10, 1962 will be the best sales year for DKW since the end of the war.
In 1965, Mercedes makes the decision to sell its DKW shares to Volkswagen, with a project under study, the F 102. But VW does not love two-stroke engines at all and wants a four-stroke. In addition, as he considers that the DKW brand is associated with these engines, he decides to rename the project as Audi 60 (for 60 hp), which suits the Wolfsburg firm, which is not yet a large group and is focused on Beetle production. In this way, the DKW brand disappears from the commercial scene while the history of the current Audi is launched, the one that, in his day, saved Rasmussen, the father of the DKW.
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