Audi's predecessor
Did you know that Audi originates from DKW? The first independent Audi model, the Audi 60, was visually almost a copy of the DKW AutoUnion F102, which otherwise shared mechanics with the DKW Autounion 1000, - which in turn derived from the F91 - the same model you see here. All the DKWs were light two-strokes with good driving characteristics. But today we don't consider two-strokes to be particularly snobbish. DKW wanted to change this by introducing the term "3=6" to indicate that the 3-cylinder two-stroke corresponded to the 6-cylinder four-stroke. The argument was that a four-stroke needs two cycles to fire all 6 cylinders, while the two-stroke fires its 3 on each cycle - and then both engines have done the same job. In practice - and beyond towards the 60s, two-strokes were not something to excel at. But DKW had many strengths. They were well-engineered, solid and beautiful cars.
Special class
DKW's original brand name was Sonderklasse. Both cars on this page belong to the Sonderklasse, but have different type numbers. The light blue is F91, while the black/white is F93. The F93 also goes by the name Grosser 3=6 because it became wider and longer - and got an increased track width. The F93 got, among other things, a panoramic rear window, better brakes and interior changes. The F91 series was produced from 1953 and was succeeded by the F93 in 1955. The model was replaced in 1959 by the DKW Auto Union 1000.
About the pictures
The photos are taken of two different cars, an F91 Cabriolet – probably Karmann – manufactured in 1955. It is pictured at a Cars and Coffee at Øvrevoll gallop. The other car is a 1957 F93 Coupe with no center pillar. It was photographed at Hoftreffet 2021.
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Copyright notice
Norwegian DKW Union – a brand club for DKW, Auto Union, Audi, Horch, Wanderer, IFA, Wartburg, Trabant and MZ.