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DKW F8
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DKW F8
The DKW F8 is a compact front-wheel drive two-stroke engined saloon, introduced in 1939. The F8 was slightly shorter than its predecessor despite having a marginally increased wheelbase. The base model, known as the Reichsklasse, was manufactured only until 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".
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.
The base ‘Reichsklasse’ model had the two-stroke twin-cylinder engine from its predecessor, but fractionally bored out. Engine capacity was now 589 cc. Claimed output and top speed were as before at and 18 bhp (13 kW) and 80 km/h (50 mph).
The ‘Meisterklasse’’ version of the DKW F8 also inherited its predecessor's similarly configured engine of 692 cc. For this engine 20 bhp (15 kW) was claimed with a top speed of 85 km/h (53 mph). It was this larger engine that reappeared in the IFA F8 in 1949.
Power was delivered to the front wheels by means of a three-speed manual gear box with a lockable freewheel mechanism on all three ratios. The engine was started using a Dynastart device, which was a combination starter motor / generator.
The body was mounted on a box frame chassis which facilitated the fitting of different body options, such as the light vans and trucks produced during the IFA period. The outer skin of the car comprised a combination of steel panels and, for the central portion, fabric covered timber frame bodywork. After 1953 key panels were made from duroplast, reducing the weight of the car and anticipating the light weight technologies that would be applied to Trabant construction.
The Swiss coachbuilding firm of Holka produced their own bodies for the imported F8 chassis. Importations of F8 chassis began in 1939, and continued till 1944 (despite production having ceased in 1942) in small numbers. In 1944, Holka even designed and produced (in very small quantities) their own version of a cabriolet, formerly imported. The final Holka-bodied car was finished in January 1945.
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DKW F8
The DKW F8 is a compact front-wheel drive two-stroke engined saloon, introduced in 1939. The F8 was slightly shorter than its predecessor despite having a marginally increased wheelbase. The base model, known as the Reichsklasse, was manufactured only until 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".
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.
The base ‘Reichsklasse’ model had the two-stroke twin-cylinder engine from its predecessor, but fractionally bored out. Engine capacity was now 589 cc. Claimed output and top speed were as before at and 18 bhp (13 kW) and 80 km/h (50 mph).
The ‘Meisterklasse’’ version of the DKW F8 also inherited its predecessor's similarly configured engine of 692 cc. For this engine 20 bhp (15 kW) was claimed with a top speed of 85 km/h (53 mph). It was this larger engine that reappeared in the IFA F8 in 1949.
Power was delivered to the front wheels by means of a three-speed manual gear box with a lockable freewheel mechanism on all three ratios. The engine was started using a Dynastart device, which was a combination starter motor / generator.
The body was mounted on a box frame chassis which facilitated the fitting of different body options, such as the light vans and trucks produced during the IFA period. The outer skin of the car comprised a combination of steel panels and, for the central portion, fabric covered timber frame bodywork. After 1953 key panels were made from duroplast, reducing the weight of the car and anticipating the light weight technologies that would be applied to Trabant construction.
The Swiss coachbuilding firm of Holka produced their own bodies for the imported F8 chassis. Importations of F8 chassis began in 1939, and continued till 1944 (despite production having ceased in 1942) in small numbers. In 1944, Holka even designed and produced (in very small quantities) their own version of a cabriolet, formerly imported. The final Holka-bodied car was finished in January 1945.
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