DKW Sonderklasse (F91/F93/F94) History

Presented at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in March 1953, the Sonderklasse (internal designation F91) took a meaningful step up from the two-cylinder F89 by adopting a three-cylinder two-stroke engine displacing 903 cc and producing 34 PS. The layout was directly derived from the three-cylinder F9 that DKW had designed before the war but never put into series production.

Karmann built 1,550 cabriolets alongside Düsseldorf sedan and coupé production, giving the range a softer-top option. The model evolved through revised body designations (F93, F94) between 1955 and 1959, with incremental engine and equipment improvements. Total production of the F91 sedan and coupé from March 1953 to September 1955 alone was 57,407 units.

The Sonderklasse marked the point at which the resurrected West German DKW moved from a minimal wartime revival into a genuine product range. Its three-cylinder formula — refined, enlarged, and rebadged — formed the mechanical basis of the Auto Union 1000 that followed.