DKW Meisterklasse (F89) History

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.