DKW F1, the first striker

I can't start this article about him DKW F1 without doing a brief review of the history of the brand. To do this, I will gloss part of what was written three months ago in this same publication, in an article dedicated to two-stroke engines:

[your_quote] “If there is a brand that puts 2-stroke mechanics in the spotlight, this is undoubtedly DKW. Founded in 1916 by the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, it began manufacturing toys for children and in 1919 made its first small two-stroke engine for them. This engine, with minor modifications, was later incorporated into motorcycles, which would be the basic pillar of the development of the German brand and which would make it, in the 30s, the world's leading manufacturer of motorcycles. (…)

At the beginning of the happy 20s, DKW were already experts in this drive concept. During that time, they created a stroller, the "SB Wagen", with two seats in a row, on a bare wooden frame. Initially powered by electrical mechanics (1919), in 1924 it had a 2cc 122-stroke engine. It would be manufactured more as a toy for the elderly than as a real vehicle. [/ su_quote]

[su_quote] “With this background, they“ just ”had to adapt these technological principles to a lightweight and inexpensive frame to manufacture. Thus and under those conditions, the P-1928 and the PS-15 were born in 600, with a two-cylinder in-line 600cc and 15 hp engine, liquid cooling, rear-wheel drive, wooden bodywork and gutta-percha; sedan, cabrio and sport roadster type. A car capable of transporting 4 passengers through the Germany of those years, with minimal consumption, correct performance and easy and cheap maintenance. It was certainly the first mass-produced 2-stroke car. " [/ su_quote]

On the one hand, in DKW They want to give a technological coup and, on the other, make their simple automobiles cheaper. Thus, during the period 1928-1930 they embarked on designing a new super-compact engine. Based on the cast iron engine block of the P-15, they mount it on an aluminum casing that includes in a single set gearbox, clutch, differential, support block, crankshaft output and dynastar, in a scheme clearly derived from its motorcycle technology. This unique set allows for lightning-fast build on production lines and full weight containment.

The first striker of the German house was born in 1931 as a result of the design and manufacture of its engine and is called Front 1, or F1. Had the honor to be the first series-assembled front-wheel drive, cross-drive car in Europe.

DKW F1, a practically unique car

DKW manufactured 4.353 units of all F1 bodies, in the period of time from February 1931 to December 1932. Of the 2-seater "Roadster" type, there were mainly two versions, of which the larger ones were produced. diffusion and economy are that of our protagonist Zweisitzer Holzkaros series (Two-seater, Wooden body), with around 800 manufactured copies, and another more luxurious variant with sheet metal body manufactured by Schneider & Korb, of which 166 cars were made. Interestingly, more units of the latter are preserved than of the former, since the dress of wood and gutta-percha has a complicated old age.

The versatility of the model even led to the manufacture of machines for competition. Thus, 5 monoposto types were made like the one that runs in the attached video.

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Credit: Mathias Hoffman, from Youtube

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Our DKW F1

That call had left me upset: my good friend Isidro warned me about a prewar DKW on Milanuncios.com, which had been on sale for several months, and I hadn't found out. This seemed unlikely to me, because practically every week I scan this virtual publication in search of parts, cars or curiosities of the German brand.

Your information couldn't be more concise: "I think it's an F5 Roadster or something earlier, and it doesn't look bad." After more than an hour searching the internet insistently, I did not get any results. Something strange was happening, so I decided to call my friend again, who quickly told me "You will not find it as DKW, but as BKW". What a strange thing, I thought.

A minute later I had before my eyes the DKW F1 you see, full screen. Without wasting a second, and more nervous than a child on his first date, call the phone; On the fourth ring, a voice with a strong Levantine accent took the call.

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After five minutes of conversation I realized that it was going to be impossible to get more information. The car was not his, it belonged to an older neighbor who did not handle "the internet" and to whom he was doing a favor. I quickly decided to take the trailer and some money and get off the next day to see that presumed F1.

Meanwhile, something inside me told me "Antonio, you've seen that car somewhere before." At three in the morning I woke up "Eureka, I know where I've seen it", I ran to my office and took the historical vehicle report made by the sadly deceased Julio de Santiago, about an F8 Cabrio; In it he cited F1 as the predecessor and, curiously, there was a photo of the unit that he was going to see a few hours later and that years before had starred in a test to Classic Engine!

We left at dawn heading to Hondón de las Nieves, a town in the interior of Alicante. My brother Jesús and I spent half a distance making speculations about the first striker ... And the other means driving it virtually.

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At 11 in the morning we reached our destination. Manuel, the owner, was waiting for us at the entrance of what was his small workshop in that town. A first glance served to guess the small silhouette of the F1, hidden under various junk and covered by a sheet, on top of which was a remarkable amount of dust.

Manuel proudly told us how the vehicle had been salvaged from a scrapyard in the 70s. For between 15 and 25 years… I had been restoring it; The body of wood and gutta-percha had practically been completely rebuilt, taking advantage of the few old boards that were in acceptable condition and manufacturing new ones - following the original pattern - where they were insurmountable. The work seemed, on the whole, pretty good.

In these cars, instead of mounting veneer on the wood, a waterproof fabric similar to leather was used, thanks to which the bodies were extremely light and cheap to manufacture. But they had - and do have - an expiration date, and the aforementioned cover must be changed every few years. In this case, the restorer had found in an old shop on the Madrid flea market, back in the 80s, a complete roll of the rare material, which he used to return to the DKW F1 its original appearance.

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Once the little car was cleared of junk, we were able to admire the actually magnificent body restoration work. Sheet metal retained all the original elements: hood, front, fins ... or original manufacturer identification plates and radiator, among others.

In the mechanical section, the original transmission system stood out, something very and rare in the very few F1 that have survived. When we opened the engine compartment, a small disappointment came to us: The engine was not the original, although it had another DKW mounted a little later of the same architecture and dimensions. This was very common in the DKW at that time, since the F1 engine, originally, produced only 16 hp. The one on the F8 was practically identical and, with a few minor modifications, entered and it gave 5 or 6 horses more and a superior development.

Of course it is difficult to find out, even for the specialists of the brand. To give you an idea, it is something like differentiating a SEAT 903 engine from a 1010. But more complex, because in this case there are very few of us who have seen an authentic F1 engine.

After this evaluation, my brother Jesús and I were clear about it. Although it was not in running order and had a long way to go, it had to be ours. So, after a brief negotiation on the price, the car came to Madrid.

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DKW F1: Final restoration

The first thing we did when we arrived in the capital was to see what had to be done to start the little motor. After a cursory cleaning, the vehicle looked gorgeous; the hood was new and retained all the original wood and metal architrave. However, there was nothing left of the original electrical installation and the work done by the previous owner in this area was far from being professional. We did not hesitate to carry out a new installation, which was above all safe and functional.

After several consultations to the file Audi Tradition and taking as a reference various photographs from the model's catalogs, we could see the original arrangement of the dashboards, as well as the type of light and starter control it mounted. After this, we only had to locate said piece, similar to those used by DKW in its time. This work, which at first seemed complicated to me, was much easier than expected thanks to the page prewarcar.com, where there is a large European market for pre-war cars and spare parts.

On this web page I found not only what I was looking for, but also engines and some other minor parts. On the other hand, my association with the "Autounion Veteranen Club" allowed me to attend several specific concentrations of the brand, where specialists show their findings. In one of these I was fortunate to find an engine, a set of original wheels that are currently restored but not mounted, as the previous tires are new and valid on the record.

From the point of view of our restoration we have allowed ourselves a small license, and it is to put a background damask steel panel on the dashboard, which was originally lined with gutta-percha from the outside. You can see it in the attached video. In any case, if a purist is not satisfied -possibly I myself-, let him know that we have another identical one lined in this material and that it can be assembled in an hour.

The restoration work ended with a tune-up of the motor, with the replacement of the Dynastar brushes, a new battery, drums and shoes, adjustment and greasing of ball joints, radiator repair and with a myriad of little things without which it was unlikely that little boy walked safely.

We hit the road with our 2 1931-stroke

The fact is that, once the DKW F1 was resurrected, I read several times the test that he published at the time Classic Engine. And I wondered how that was possible: the vehicle, in the state in which we bought it, was literally impossible to do little more than a few hundred meters ... How & $ + had they done that?

As luck would have it, a year after finishing the restoration, I spent a morning with Jesús Bonilla and his inseparable Pacheco, who remembered perfectly Hondón de las Nieves and that peculiar artifact. In reality, they were only able to travel a few hundred meters for the photo shoot.

The first thing you do when you go for a walk with a vehicle like the DKW F1 is to remove the hood. The operation is very simple and takes less than a minute, releasing the two knobs that fix it to the windshield. After doing this, it is advisable to secure it with a tape, to prevent it from flying off with the wind.

Once the F1 is convertible, it seems less attractive to me, and it is that his image with the canvas roof on seems magnificent to me. Still, it is not possible to ignore that convertibles were born to roll in the open.

I admire the first striker while a doubt assails me: Where do you access the trunk? The truth is that this is reduced to a small compartment located behind the seats, barely capable of a couple of backpacks and a basic toolbox. In addition, its opening requires extra time, since the backrest of the bench seat must be removed by removing, again, two wing nuts.

I open the tiny door -also upholstered in gutta-percha- by activating a simple and original single control, located inside. I am in the driving position, using a maneuver that does not pose any problem, as long as it does not exceed five feet, of course. In my case I do it with ease. Once inside, the damask dashboard features a simple speedometer, a clock, the switch for the turn signals and - again - a single knob for the ignition and lights. Additionally, beautiful wind-up watches have been placed on the right side, for participation in regularity tests. The ensemble culminates in the beautiful wooden steering wheel, admirably restored.

Starting does not present the slightest problem. It is enough to open the gasoline valve, motorcycle type, place the starter selector in its corresponding position and activate the floor tamper. The engine starts on a quarter turn, despite having been idle for five months. It is one of the peculiarities of cars with two-stroke engines: they are tremendously easy to start. The typical sound of the two-cylinder DKW is heard clearly, TaTaTatataTatata; a bit hesitant at first, as the engine warms up, and safer and rounder as it reaches its ideal temperature.

The typical smoke and smell of a two-stroke mixture accompanies us in a special way during the first minutes. Finally, I decide to insert the first of the three out-of-sync relationships that this little guy has. The lever located in the center of the dashboard, in the purest R-4 style, has this peculiar position due to the location of the differential gear set in front of the engine block, which is, as we have said, located in a transverse position.

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With the first gear engaged, I release the clutch, of the multi-disc type bathed in oil, similar to that of motorcycles, and whose oil is shared with the gearbox. It's very smooth and progressive, so we started the drive with unusual ease for a vehicle made in 1931.

Getting into the driving position is easy, as it does not have any possible adjustments! Take it or leave it; for me, absolutely ideal. The steering is light and reasonably precise for a worm gear, although it is true that in the restoration process the ball joints have been adjusted, remanufacturing a couple of them that were deteriorated.

After the first few meters, I realize that the first relationship serves little more than to start, so I decide to engage the second. Of course with double clutch, but without dropping the engine too much. Enter without question, accelerator with decision; identical operation and third. Without realizing it, I am wandering around the industrial estate where he sleeps with an unusual liveliness for an 83-year-old car. It has me really surprised.

This morning's journey includes a section of Madrid's R-3, the toll road parallel to the N-III. As I go along it, I see how I take the vehicle around 85 km / h without the slightest problem, going down to 75 in steep climbs. The scarce power available is conjured by the low weight of the vehicle (485 Kg), thanks to which this DKW withstands driving on current roads without problem.

The free-wheeling device, which leaves the car without traction on descents -and therefore without an engine brake-, it is very useful on this type of road, since it reduces consumption and, above all, cools the engine. For its part, the cooling system is by thermosyphon, lacking a pump.

Once we step on second-order roads, it continues with steep slopes and ascents, while on the descents it reduces speed with an unusual ease for a vehicle with four-wheel drum brakes, actuated by cables and without any type of assistance. The stability and the direction in curves is good, although the oil shock absorbers of the connecting rod and central spring seem very scarce to drive with two people, since they will constantly touch on the stops of the wooden body.

(It is also true that when I refer to two people I am thinking of my father and I, that between the two of us we weigh around 190 kg; if in the equation we change my father for my brother, 30 kg lighter, the thing changes a bit.)

DKW F1: Conclusions

In conclusion, this lightweight DKW is an austere and spartan car, easy to drive, and very simple to maintain and repair. Its plant is really pretty, and its size is incredibly small. To circulate with him from the outside is quite a spectacle; and from within, something exciting. Its apparent exterior fragility does not correspond to the security it transmits, with how satisfactorily it brakes, how reasonably well it accelerates or with its good behavior in curves.

All this speaking of roads with good firmness and as long as we do not exceed the weight of the occupants. In the case of roads in bad condition, prudence advises taking it easy, since the classic rebounding of cars with this type of damping occurs.

Currently there are only a handful of F1's left in the world, possibly no more than 10 units of all bodies, mainly in Germany. At the national level, it is the only one that exists in running order. It is a really difficult vehicle to find, not so much because of the price but because of the non-availability of units for sale. And it is a real delight to see it circulate and to be able to drive it.

Technical sheet