1953 DKW Autounion - 2 cyl 700 cc, 2 cycle - for sale $4,000

[kghia]

I have a 1953 DKW - Autounion for sale which is the earliest post war Audi in the united states. The car is a fantastic time capsule with only 40,000 km. There is no rust and I have a copy of the original PA title when it was brought into the USA.

The motor would classify it as a microcar with 700 cc, 2 cylinder, 2 stroke motor. Sounds like a big weed eater. This was a one owner car that was held by a dealer for 2 years before I picked it up last year. It runs good but needs brake lines. I have picked up a new master cylinder, rebuilt the front brakes and got some new flexible lines. We are moving and I would like to sell the car.

It is a little nicer than the standard VW Beetle of the time with its wood dash and wood window surrounds. The car is rust free with a few very minor dings. Using the hand brake I had it up to 50 kph and thought that was fast enough. It has a 4 speed transmission where the shifter comes out of the center of the dash.

Please call with any questions. Jeff (717)464-0969 EST, Lancaster, PA

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Karmann_Ghia_Registry/dkw.htm

[ronbarn]

Are you sure about the car you are advertising. I drove around the streets back in that time frame in a three cylinder two cycle DKW. Please verify - some people are interested in the 3-2, but I've never heard of a 2-2.

[kghia]

Hi,

There are some good pictures on my site of the engine and a link to cut and paste below. That is what makes this model which is the F89P pretty rare.

DKWs before 1950 had two cylinder motors and these were designated the F8 Model and I have a breif page devoted to them. There is a good chassis shot of the engine.

In late 1953 they came out with the 3=6 motor which most people are familiar with. These were designated the F91 model. A little later DKW increased the overall body size and came out with the Gross "Large" 3=6 with model number F93.

Convertible DKWs were made by the firm Karmann which made the Convertible VW Beetle and Karmann Ghia for Volkswagen. That is how I got interested in DKWs. After visiting the Karmann collection in Germany and seeing a 4 seater and 2 seater convertible I have been searching for one ever since. In the process I stumbled across this car.

The Hebmuller firm made two seater VW convertibles in the early 50s which are very sought after in the VW world. Here I found out that Hebmuller was making the original two seater DKWS. When the Hebmuller factory burnt down, Karmann picked up the remaining production of the VW 2 seater convertibles but took over production of the DKW 2 seater convertible and manufactured it until 1956.

All of the DKWs prior to mid 1953 had two cylinder engines with the shifter coming out of the center of the dash. The vans that DKW made might have continued as two cylinder models until 1955. I don't have any parts books on them to verify this.

I've spent the past year researching these early 50s DKWs and it is a pretty unique car.

Jeff

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Karmann_Ghia_Registry/DKWSmallEng2.jpg

[ronbarn]

Thanks for the info. The car I road in was probably a 1955 or 1956 car. One of my classmates had it during my Junior year in high school (1956) and it was a fine little convertible. I was not aware that DKW changed in 1953.

[kghia]

Sure, it has to be a convertible that you rode in. Maybe it still is in the back of your friends garage <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Attached is a two seater DKW photo.