Auto Union Model History

Germany · founded 1932

The four-ring German conglomerate (1932–1969) — creator of the mid-engine Silver Arrow Grand Prix cars and the DKW-branded two-stroke road cars that seeded modern Audi.

Models

Grand Prix Cars (Types A–D)

The radical mid-engine Silver Arrow Grand Prix cars — supercharged V16 and V12 machines that won the 1936 European Championship with Bernd Rosemeyer.

Racing car · 1934–1939
DKW 3=6 (Sonderklasse)

Auto Union's post-war comeback compact — a front-wheel-drive, two-stroke three-cylinder that the '3=6' name claimed equalled a six-cylinder four-stroke.

Compact car · 1953–1959
Auto Union 1000

The car that bore the Auto Union name on its flanks — a front-wheel-drive two-stroke saloon produced in Düsseldorf that sold over 170,000 units.

Compact car · 1958–1963
Auto Union 1000 Sp

A stylish two-seater coupe and roadster — Auto Union's only dedicated sports car, built by coachbuilder Baur and nicknamed the 'baby Thunderbird.'

Sports car · 1958–1965
DKW Munga

Auto Union's all-wheel-drive military utility vehicle — a Bundeswehr workhorse built for over a decade at Ingolstadt, with around 46,750 produced.

Off-road vehicle · 1956–1968
DKW F102

The last car to wear a DKW badge — a modern unibody compact whose platform was reborn as the first post-war Audi when Volkswagen revived the dormant marque.

Compact car · 1964–1966

Other makes