Wanderer W24 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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Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
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Introduced for 1937 alongside a wider Auto Union range refresh, the W24 was Wanderer's volume middle-market car: a four-door saloon powered by a flathead 1,767 cc inline-four producing 42 PS at 3,400 rpm, transmitted through a four-speed manual gearbox. Production ran at the Siegmar factory in what is now Chemnitz.
By the time civilian passenger-car production was stopped in 1940 by the intensifying demands of the war economy, approximately 23,000 W24s had been built — making it the most-produced Wanderer automobile and one of the marque's commercial high points. A small number of cabriolet variants (approximately 300) were also built, making them rare and collectible today.
The W24's chassis used a box frame with a swing-axle rear arrangement borrowed from sister brand DKW's smaller models, and an electrical system running on six volts. The model occupied the mainstream mid-class sector within Auto Union's brand pyramid, positioned below the larger six-cylinder Wanderers.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Cabriolet
Notable special editions & performance variants
W24 Cabriolet
An open two-door body variant; approximately 300 built, making surviving examples among the most sought-after Wanderer collectibles.
Related models
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