Wartburg 311 / 312 History

The Wartburg 311 entered production in 1956 as VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach's (AWE) first car under the revived Wartburg name, itself a development of the IFA F9 that traced its mechanicals to the pre-war DKW F9. The car rode a platform lengthened by 10 cm relative to its immediate predecessor, the EMW 309, and was offered in an unusually wide range of body styles for an East German product: four-door sedan, three-/five-door estate, two-door coupé, two-door pickup, and a two-seat roadster.

Power came from a 900 cc two-stroke three-cylinder engine — a layout shared with the Trabant but in a car positioned a step above it, aimed at professionals and officials within the GDR hierarchy. The engine was enlarged to 992 cc in 1962, and the gearbox evolved from three to four speeds in 1958. The 313/1 Sportwagen roadster, a handsome open two-seater, was produced in tiny numbers from 1957 to 1960 — approximately 469 units in total, of which roughly one-third were exported to the United States.

Total production of the 311 ran to 288,535 units (1956–1965), after which the transitional Wartburg 312 carried the design through 1967 while the all-new 353 was readied. Right-hand-drive export versions totalled 737 units (1961–1964), reaching markets including the UK. Argentine coachbuilders also produced locally-bodied derivatives (the Graciela and Graciela W) using Wartburg engines and styling cues.