DKW F102 History

Presented in September 1963 as a replacement for the Auto Union 1000, the F102 was the most technically advanced DKW ever built: unitary monocoque construction (a first for the marque), independent suspension on all four wheels, front disc brakes, and a 1,175 cc inline-three two-stroke engine producing 60 PS at 4,500 rpm. It was also the first DKW with an engine larger than one litre.

Despite the engineering progress, the market turned against it. By 1963 West German buyers were increasingly put off by two-stroke engines — the need for oil-mixing, the characteristic exhaust smell, and rising consumer expectations around refinement all told against DKW. The F102 sold only 52,753 (some sources say 53,053) units in roughly three years, causing Auto Union serious financial difficulties.

When Volkswagen completed its acquisition of Auto Union in 1964–1965, the F102 platform became the foundation for the Audi F103 — the car that revived the Audi name. The last F102 rolled off the line in March 1966, ending DKW as a passenger-car brand after nearly four decades of volume production.