| DKW F8 Reichsklasse / Meisterklasse IFA F8 | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Auto Union AG Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau |
| Production | 1939–1942 (DKW) 1948–1955 (IFA) |
| Assembly | Germany: Zwickau (DKW) East Germany: Zwickau (IFA) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style |
|
| Layout | FF layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 600 / 700 cc two stroke straight-2[1] |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,600 mm (100 in) |
| Length | 3,900 mm (150 in) - 4,000 mm (160 in) |
| Curb weight | 700–900 kg (1,500–2,000 lb) (empty) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | DKW F7 |
| Successor | DKW F89 IFA F9 |
The DKW F8 is a compact front-wheel drive two-stroke engined saloon, introduced in 1939.[2] The F8 was slightly shorter than its predecessor despite having a marginally increased wheelbase.[2] The base model, known as the Reichsklasse, was manufactured only till 1940 but the Meisterklasse sedan continued in production until 1942. In addition to the saloons, cabriolet versions were offered.
The "F" in the car's name stood for "Front" which referred to its front wheel drive configuration. Although in retrospect it is almost always identified as the "F8" which distinguishes it from the "F7" which preceded it and from the "F9" which was intended to replace it, the manufacturer's publicity material from 1939 calls it simply the "DKW Front".[3]
After the war the car reappeared in 1949 as the IFA F8, from the Zwickau plant which now operated under Soviet control. The factory and operation was reorganized as a Volkseigener Betrieb (or "People Owned Enterprise") Automobilwerke Zwickau (AWZ). The F8 continued in production at Zwickau until approximately 1955: in addition to the sedan and cabriolet bodies, various additional body types available post war included a delivery van and estate variant.
- ^ Gloor, Roger (2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945 - 1960 [All the cars of the 1950s] (in German) (1. ed.). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
- ^ a b Odin, L.C. World in Motion 1939 - The whole of the year's automobile production. Belvedere Publishing, 2015. ASIN: B00ZLN91ZG.
- ^ "Sales brochure: DKW Front". 1939. Retrieved 2012-11-07.