DKW 3=6

DKW Sonderklasse
DKW 3=6
DKW F91/F93/F94
1955 DKW 3=6 (F91)
Overview
ManufacturerAuto Union GmbH
Also calledDKW 900
ProductionMarch 1953–1959
AssemblyDüsseldorf, West Germany
Body and chassis
ClassCompact / Small family car (C)
Body style2 or 4-door saloon
2-door coupé & cabriolet
3-door 'Universal' estate
LayoutFF layout
RelatedIFA F9
Powertrain
Engine896 cc two-stroke straight-3[1]
Transmission3 or 4 speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,350 mm (93 in) (2-door)
2,450 mm (96 in) (4-door)
Length4,170 mm (164 in)
4,325 mm (170.3 in)
Curb weight870–970 kg (1,920–2,140 lb) (empty)
Chronology
PredecessorDKW F89
SuccessorAuto Union 1000
1957 DKW 3=6 F93 Sonderklasse, Wellington, New Zealand
Unusually, the radiator was placed directly ahead of the firewall, but behind the two-stroke engine.
The Karmann bodied cabriolet version. The slatted front grill identifies this as an F91 (prefacelift) version.
The 3=6 descended directly from the prewar DKW F9 prototype.
By 1955, the DKW 3=6 grew in width and track by almost 4 inches and was advertised as "der Große DKW", the "large DKW".

The DKW 3=6 is a compact front-wheel drive saloon manufactured by Auto Union GmbH.[2] The car was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in March 1953 and sold until 1959. It carried the name Sonderklasse ("Special Class") on the right hand fender of all steel bodied models – this being part of the model name for this range. The first model in the range was named by factory project number, DKW F91, which was replaced by the F93 and F94 models from the 1956 model year[2]. The F93 and F94 models were referred to by Auto Union as the "Big DKW 3=6" (Großer 3=6).[2] By 1958 the car's successor, the Auto Union 1000 Coupe de Luxe, was being sold and the older car had become, in essence, a ‘run-out’ model; it was known more simply (in the USA and the Netherlands only) as the DKW 900.[3]

The 3=6's notable features included its 896cc two-stroke engine and front-wheel drive layout, along with the sure-footed handling that resulted.[4]

  1. ^ Gloor, Roger (2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 – 1960 (1. ed.). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
  2. ^ a b c Workshop Manual for DKW 3=6 cars (5th reprint, July 1959 ed.). Ingolstadt, Germany: Auto Union Gmbh. 1959.
  3. ^ Rauch, Siegfried; Ronicke, Frank (2007). DKW Geschichte einer Weltmarkte. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02815-9.
  4. ^ Gloor, Roger (2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 – 1960 (1. ed.). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.