Saturday, February 28, 2015

DKW F89 Factory Photos


After the Second World War Auto-Union was forced to relocate to West Germany. After taking stock of their few remaining assets, they managed to re-register and re-capitalise the company and set up in a former aircraft factory outside Dusseldorf. It took some time to restart production but by 1950 DKW released its first post-war car, the F89, which combined the old pre-war F8 chassis and engine and the new F9 prototype body.

The design team at work

Manufacturing a test body from a wooden buck (mould).

Handwelding the bodywork

Bodies in primer

Painting wheel rims in the paint shop - still very much a manual task.

The painted bodies drying

Fitting the chassis

Dropping the bodies onto the chassis. Interestingly we see here two versions of the car being manufactured. The hanging body in the foreground is the new model with a full wrap around windscreen. To the left are the older, split windscreen versions. This suggests the photo was taken around 1953.

Another view of the body being fitted to the chassis

Fitting out the finished cars. These are single windscreen models.

Checking the engine and fueling up

Inspecting the cars ready for the road.

Completed cars in the car park

Photos from the Karman factory. Due to capacity issues, DKW outsourced manufacturer of the cabriolet version of the F89 to Karman Karosseriewerkes until 1953.






A 1953 German review of the new F89

1953 Auto Union Illustrated Magazine


1953 and DKW use the Auto-Union Illustrated magazine to unveil their new model - the F91. The old model, the F89P is still the star of the magazine however.

The new factory at Ingolstadt


From toy to world beating engine


Pictures of the production facilities at Ingolstadt


DKW's pioneering technology


DKW front wheel drive


DKW's 'schwebe' floating axle

Safe breaking

Interior fittings

The standard Meisterklasse retained the old F8 engine and three speed gearbox.

Schematic for the Meisterklasse


The new Meisterklasse four gear model. German customers originally had to make do with the older three gear gearbox while the four gear gearbox was used exclusively for export.


Introducing the new F91 Sonderklasse with 3 cylinder two-stoke engine


DKW Schnellaster





DKW motorbikes


DKW service everywhere!


DKW Racing