DKW F2
The DKW F2, firstly marketed as "DKW Meisterklasse", is a front wheel drive economy car, produced from 1932 to 1935 at the company’s Zwickau plant. DKW (part of Auto Union) launched the F2 model at the Berlin Motor Show in April 1932. It shared its 584cc engine and drivetrain with its DKW F1 predecessor, but offered a longer wheelbase and a larger body.
| DKW F2 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | DKW, part of Auto Union |
| Also called | DKW Meisterklasse 601 DKW Meisterklasse 701 DKW Reichsklasse |
| Production | 1932–1934 (Meisterklasse) 1933-1935 (Reichsklasse) Approx 17,000 units |
| Assembly | Zwickau |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2 door 4 seater cabriolet 2 door 4 seater cabrio-limousine (soft top saloon/sedan) |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 584 cc 2 cylinder 2-stroke 692 cc 2 cylinder 2-stroke |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,610 mm (103 in) |
| Length | 3,895 mm (153.3 in) (Reichsklasse) 3,955 mm (155.7 in) (Meisterklasse) 3,750 mm (148 in) (2-seater Meisterklasse) |
| Width | 1,480 mm (58 in) |
| Height | 1,500 mm (59 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | DKW F1 |
| Successor | DKW F4 |
Although the DKWs offered a fully enclosed body on a relatively advanced chassis with four wheel independent suspension, they used two-stroke motorcycle derived engines, and cheap, lightweight bodies of timber, clad in artificial leather, like the F1.
Known within the company and in retrospect as the DKW F2, this was the first of several successive small DKWs cars to be marketed using the more pleasing name, “DKW Meisterklasse”.