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Wartburg 353
The Wartburg 353, known in some export markets as the Wartburg Knight, is a medium-sized family car produced by the East German car manufacturer AWE for their Wartburg brand. It was the successor of the Wartburg 311 and was itself succeeded by the Wartburg 1.3.
The Wartburg 353 was produced from 1966 to 1988, becoming the Wartburg with the longest production run. During its lifetime, it saw several changes and improvements, the most recognizable of which came in 1985 with a front facelift (as pictured here), a slightly different layout around the engine block, and a new carburettor.
First introduced in June 1966, the Wartburg 353 was the creation of the former German BMW production facilities (called EMW under Soviet occupation). Its origins were ultimately derived from a 1938 DKW design and powered by a two-stroke engine with only seven major moving parts: three pistons, three connecting rods and a crankshaft. This led to a common aphorism among Wartburg owners, which is that "one drives a car, but only has to maintain a motorcycle." The engine was almost identical to the DKW- derived two-stroke unit used in the SAAB 93,95 and 96.
Domestically, it was used for all government transportation, sometimes as a Volkspolizei police car. However, due to the nature of the planned economy, deliveries to private owners could take ten to fifteen years.
Like other Eastern Europe cars, it was known for its low price in export markets. Because of its forward centre of gravity and front-wheel drive, the car had typical front-wheel-drive road handling characteristics, displaying significant understeer, especially in wet conditions.[citation needed]
Wartburgs were exported to most European markets and South Africa.
The Wartburg 353 was powered by a 1-litre displacement, 3-cylinder unit that took almost two decades to refine. While developing about 50 to 55 PS (37 to 40 kW) (depending on the carburetor type), its two-stroke engine design provided more than 100 N⋅m of torque (106 N⋅m in the last version), which was a typical figure for many larger four-stroke engines at that time. The three cylinder two-stroke design made for a very smooth drive, described as being as smooth as a six-cylinder four stroke by owners. The transmission was equipped with a freewheel, obviating the need to use the clutch between gears. Designed as a fuel efficiency measure and as a means of protecting the engine from oil starvation due to the petroil-fuelled nature of 2-strokes, the device disabled engine braking; the car could coast whenever the throttle was released. Drivers could turn the freewheel off through a switch under the steering column to benefit from engine braking, which was useful since the front brakes were prone to overheating and fading. However, most drivers never disabled the freewheel because it made shifting gears significantly easier and smoother, though not quicker. It also allowed clutchless though slow gear changes to be made. Earlier models had the gear stick on the steering column, although later versions had it on the floor. Inherited from its DKW origins, the ignition system featured no distributor but three coils and contact breakers, one for each cylinder.
Today, 353s are customized for reaching speeds well about 200 km/h (125 mph), whereas the original design called for critical speed of 150–155 km/h (93–96 mph) and 12 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph), which was dealt with in second gear due to the smooth high-revving engine. It was available with four- and five-speed transmissions, although the latter was rare.
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Wartburg 353
The Wartburg 353, known in some export markets as the Wartburg Knight, is a medium-sized family car produced by the East German car manufacturer AWE for their Wartburg brand. It was the successor of the Wartburg 311 and was itself succeeded by the Wartburg 1.3.
The Wartburg 353 was produced from 1966 to 1988, becoming the Wartburg with the longest production run. During its lifetime, it saw several changes and improvements, the most recognizable of which came in 1985 with a front facelift (as pictured here), a slightly different layout around the engine block, and a new carburettor.
First introduced in June 1966, the Wartburg 353 was the creation of the former German BMW production facilities (called EMW under Soviet occupation). Its origins were ultimately derived from a 1938 DKW design and powered by a two-stroke engine with only seven major moving parts: three pistons, three connecting rods and a crankshaft. This led to a common aphorism among Wartburg owners, which is that "one drives a car, but only has to maintain a motorcycle." The engine was almost identical to the DKW- derived two-stroke unit used in the SAAB 93,95 and 96.
Domestically, it was used for all government transportation, sometimes as a Volkspolizei police car. However, due to the nature of the planned economy, deliveries to private owners could take ten to fifteen years.
Like other Eastern Europe cars, it was known for its low price in export markets. Because of its forward centre of gravity and front-wheel drive, the car had typical front-wheel-drive road handling characteristics, displaying significant understeer, especially in wet conditions.[citation needed]
Wartburgs were exported to most European markets and South Africa.
The Wartburg 353 was powered by a 1-litre displacement, 3-cylinder unit that took almost two decades to refine. While developing about 50 to 55 PS (37 to 40 kW) (depending on the carburetor type), its two-stroke engine design provided more than 100 N⋅m of torque (106 N⋅m in the last version), which was a typical figure for many larger four-stroke engines at that time. The three cylinder two-stroke design made for a very smooth drive, described as being as smooth as a six-cylinder four stroke by owners. The transmission was equipped with a freewheel, obviating the need to use the clutch between gears. Designed as a fuel efficiency measure and as a means of protecting the engine from oil starvation due to the petroil-fuelled nature of 2-strokes, the device disabled engine braking; the car could coast whenever the throttle was released. Drivers could turn the freewheel off through a switch under the steering column to benefit from engine braking, which was useful since the front brakes were prone to overheating and fading. However, most drivers never disabled the freewheel because it made shifting gears significantly easier and smoother, though not quicker. It also allowed clutchless though slow gear changes to be made. Earlier models had the gear stick on the steering column, although later versions had it on the floor. Inherited from its DKW origins, the ignition system featured no distributor but three coils and contact breakers, one for each cylinder.
Today, 353s are customized for reaching speeds well about 200 km/h (125 mph), whereas the original design called for critical speed of 150–155 km/h (93–96 mph) and 12 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph), which was dealt with in second gear due to the smooth high-revving engine. It was available with four- and five-speed transmissions, although the latter was rare.
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