DKW 3=6

The DKW 3=6 is a compact front-wheel drive saloon manufactured by Auto Union GmbH. The car was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in March 1953 and sold until 1959. It carried the name Sonderklasse ("Special Class") on the right hand fender of all steel bodied models – this being part of the model name for this range. The first model in the range was named by factory project number, DKW F91, which was replaced by the F93 and F94 models from the 1956 model year. The F93 and F94 models were referred to by Auto Union as the "Big DKW 3=6" (Großer 3=6). From 1958, by which year the car's successor, the Auto Union 1000 Coupe de Luxe, was already being sold and the earlier version had therefore become, in essence, a ‘run-out’ model, it was known more simply (in the USA and the Netherlands only) as the DKW 900.

The 3=6's notable features included its 896cc two-stroke engine and front-wheel drive layout, along with the sure-footed handling that resulted.

The car was known as a fast, reliable performer, and received much praise from the motoring press of the day. The Australian "Wheels" magazine called the 1957 F93 model the "Triple-Banger Rocket". Similarly, the South African "CAR" magazine of November 1957 said;

"If you yearn to own a sports car, but, for family reasons, you must have a saloon that is capable of seating four or five people, the DKW 3=6 will probably appeal to you immensely".

In addition to its home country and continental Europe, the 3=6 model was sold in many countries worldwide including South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), South West Africa (Namibia), Kenya , New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United States of America.

In a market segment increasingly dominated by the Volkswagen Beetle, the Auto Union contender also boasted class leading interior space, especially after the arrival of the four-door version, which featured a modestly extended wheelbase.

The DKW 3=6 in due course replaced the DKW F89 / Meisterklasse, although the Meisterklasse remained in production until April 1954. In its turn, the 3=6 was succeeded by the more powerful Auto Union 1000, offered already from late 1957 for the 1958 model year.

The DKW 3=6 was a campaigned very successfully in motorsport in the 1950's and early 1960's. Notable outright victories include the 1954 European Rally Championship at the hands of Walter Schlüter, as well the 1956 East African Coronation Safari (later known as the Safari Rally ) in the hands of Eric Cecil and Tony Vickers. The DKW 3=6 was driven in motorsport, by many notable drivers including Jim Clark, Tony Brooks, Sarel van der Merwe and Juan Manuel Fangio (1965 Interlagos, Brazil). In South Africa, in particular, sales were bolstered by the motorsport successes of Sarel van der Merwe Snr (father of Sarel van der Merwe), Coenraad Spamer and Tom Campher. In 1957 alone, the list of South African motorsport events won by the DKW 3=6 was sizeable – including the 1957 Protea Trial, 1957 Lourenco Marques Rally and the 1957 Vaal Gold Cup Rally.

The DKW Monza (based on the DKW 3=6), set five world records in 1956 in the displacement class up to 1.1 litres with an average speed of almost 140 km/h (86.9 mph).

• 4,000 miles with an average speed of 140.839 km/h (87.513 mph)
• 48 hours with an average speed of 140.961 km/h (87.589 mph)
• 5,000 miles with an average speed of 138.656 km/h (86.157 mph)
• 10,000 miles with an average speed of 139.453 km/h (86.652 mph)
• 72 hours with an average speed of 139.459 km/h (86.656 mph)

The DKW 3=6 also enjoyed several famous owners, like the celebrated aviator Elly Beinhorn (who named her 3=6 "Alwine VII"), German boxing legend Max Schmeling (twice heavyweight World Champion) and film star Anita Ekberg (star of La Dolce Vita (1960)).

In recognition of the model's significance, Audi Tradition maintain a 1954 DKW 3=6 Sonderklasse in their fleet, and this is occasionally brought out on historical motoring events.