Auto Union 1000
| Auto Union 1000 | |
|---|---|
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|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Auto Union GmbH |
| Production | 1958 - 1963 saloon 171,008 built 1959–1965 Sp (Sport) ca. 6,640 built |
| Assembly | Düsseldorf, West Germany |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact / Small family car (C) |
| Body style |
2- or 4-door saloon 2-door pillarless coupé 3-door estate 2-seat sports car |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 981 cc two-stroke straight-3 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,350 mm (93 in) (2-door) 2,450 mm (96 in) (4-door) |
| Length | 4,170 mm (164 in) 4,325 mm (170.3 in) according to version |
| Width | 1,727 mm (68.0 in) |
| Height | 1,486 mm (58.5 in) |
| Curb weight | 950 kg (2,090 lb) approx |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | DKW 3=6 |
| Successor | DKW F102 |
The Auto Union 1000 is a compact front-wheel-drive automobile manufactured by Auto Union GmbH between 1958 and 1965. It was the first (and in many markets the last) model branded as an Auto Union by the manufacturer since the 1930s: it replaced the paradoxically named DKW 3=6, although the latter continued in production, reassuringly now branded as the DKW 900, for another year. The two cars were broadly similar, but the new car had its two-stroke engine enlarged to 981 cc yielding a 10% - 37% (according to model) power increase.
Apart from the enlarged engine, which now provided in the base model 44 bhp (33 kW), the 1000 featured the old four ring Auto Union badge across the air grill along with the ‘Auto Union’ name above it, in place of the ‘DKW’ badge that had adorned the nose of the earlier model.
In addition to the two- and four-door saloons, there was a ‘pillarless’ coupé which shared the profile of the saloons apart from the absence of any fixed B pillar. A three-door estate version was also offered, branded as the ‘Universal’, between 1959 and 1962. For the new decade, the saloon was renamed Auto Union 1000S and received, in August 1959, an eye catching wrap around windscreen. Neither the windscreen nor the name changes entirely concealed the fact that at a time when competitor designs employed the modern ponton, three box form, this Auto Union’s body along with most of its technical features descended directly from that of the Zwickau developed DKW F9 prototype of 1938. Fortunately in 1938 the front-wheel-drive DKW design had been an innovative one.
Appearing in 1958 was the Auto Union 1000 Sp, a low-slung two-seater sports car that was produced for Auto Union by the Stuttgart coach builders, Baur. The fixed-head version was joined in 1961 by a cabriolet. Adorned with tail fins, the stylish modern look of the car gave rise to the "baby Thunderbird" (schmalspur Thunderbird) soubriquet in the press, and belied the fact that it was, under the skin, another Auto Union 1000, albeit one with an increased compression ratio and a claimed maximum of 55 bhp (41 kW) to place on the road. The 1000 Sp was lower but not (assuming only two people were in the car) significantly lighter than the standard-bodied saloon: a claimed maximum speed of 140 km/h (87 mph) nevertheless put its performance at the top of the range. It would prove to be the last open top car produced by the company until the Audi 80 cabriolet in 1994.
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Wikipedia