DKW F4

DKW F4 Meisterklasse
DKW F4 Meisterklasse 2-door cabrio-limousine
Overview
Manufacturer	DKW (Auto Union)
Production	1934–1935 Approx 7,000 units
Assembly	Germany: Zwickau
Body and chassis
Body style	2 door 4 seater ”limousine” (saloon) 2 door 4 seater “cabrio-limousine” (soft top saloon/sedan)
Layout	FF layout
Powertrain
Engine	692 cc 2 cylinder 2-stroke
Transmission	3-speed manual with lockable freewheel device
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,610 mm (103 in)
Length	3,985 mm (156.9 in)
Width	1,465 mm (57.7 in)
Height	1,500 mm (59 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	DKW F2
Successor	DKW F5

The DKW F4 Meisterklasse is a small car produced at the company’s Zwickau plant by DKW (part of the Auto Union) between 1934 and 1935. It shared its 692cc engine and front wheel drive configuration with its immediate predecessor, the DKW F2 Meisterklasse, along with its 2,610 mm (103 in) wheelbase, but the body had been restyled again, and was now more stylish, the perpendicular rear end of the F2 now replaced with a sloping rear on the mainstream body types^[1]

The engine was again a 2- cylinder 2-stroke in-line 692cc unit producing a claimed maximum output of 15 kW (20 PS) at 3,500 rpm. Power was sent to the front wheels through a three speed manual gear box which was also carried over from the previous model, the gear ratios still unchanged from the days of the DKW F1. However, the F2 Meisterklasse, during its final year of production, had acquired a lockable freewheel device incorporated within its transmission, and this feature was carried forward to the F4 Meisterklasse.^[2]

The self-supporting body was again supported by a U-profile plywood subframe. Available body types were a 2 door 4 seater ”limousine” (saloon) and a 2 door 4 seater “cabrio-limousine” (soft top saloon/sedan) with a retractable top but fixed windows. In addition to its more stylish rear end, the F4 body was also distinguished by the switch to rear hinged doors for easier access and egress.^[3]

Although the F4 Meisterklasse replaced the F2 Meisterklasse, the smaller engined DKW F2 Reichsklasse continued to be manufactured alongside the F4. In 1935 both models were replaced by the DKW F5 which would from its inception be offered in both 584cc Reichsklasse and 692cc Meisterklasse versions.