DKW Meisterklasse (F89) History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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The F89 Meisterklasse was the first passenger car produced by the reconstituted West German Auto Union GmbH, launched in August 1950 from a plant operated by Rheinmetall-Borsig in Düsseldorf. DKW's own facilities were in the Soviet occupation zone and inaccessible.
Under the skin the F89 revived the pre-war recipe: a water-cooled 684 cc two-cylinder two-stroke engine producing 23 bhp, a three-speed gearbox shifted by a dashboard-mounted lever (Krückstockschaltung), and front-wheel drive. Cooling was by thermosiphon convection — no water pump. Top speed was a claimed 100 km/h (62 mph) for the saloon.
A 'Universal' estate version was also offered. Production ran from 1950 to 1954, bridging the gap until the more modern three-cylinder Sonderklasse arrived. The F89 proved that there was still a market for DKW's two-stroke front-drive formula in peacetime West Germany.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Estate
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