Wartburg 353 (Knight) History

The Wartburg 353 entered production in 1966 as a thoroughly modern design for its time, with full-width four-door bodywork, front-wheel drive, and a distinctive two-stroke three-cylinder engine of 993 cc producing 50–55 PS — depending on carburetor specification. The engine's remarkable simplicity was often quoted as a selling point: just seven major moving parts (three pistons, three connecting rods, and a crankshaft). In export markets, particularly the UK and Scandinavia, the car was marketed as the Wartburg Knight.

Available as a four-door sedan (Limousine), five-door estate (Tourist), and two-door pickup (Trans), the 353 was positioned above the Trabant as the GDR's near-premium family car — a distinction that came with queuing times of several years for East German buyers. Despite its two-stroke powerplant and dated technology, the 353 was genuinely capable: top speed was around 170 km/h and the engine's high torque relative to its displacement made it a surprisingly willing motorway companion.

A major facelift in 1975 yielded the 353W (Weiterentwicklung, 'further development'), which improved emissions and durability; this version ran until 1988, accounting for 868,860 of the more than 1.2 million 353s built across both series. A 1985 exterior facelift repositioned the radiator and updated the headlights. The 353 was gradually superseded from October 1988 by the Wartburg 1.3, though the two ran in parallel briefly.