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Auto Union 1000 Sp - 2-stroke Thunderbird "en miniature"

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Created on October 20, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Balz Schreier

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Balz Schreier

19

Bruno von Rotz

17

Archiv

27

Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - pretty silhouette

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the rear-view mirrors were probably retrofitted later

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - effortless and pleasant to drive

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the two-stroke ran up to 145 km/h

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - a little king of the highway

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the bodies were largely handcrafted by Baur

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the design was also impressive compared to the competition

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the 1962 model already had the rounded fins

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the design of the tail fins was reminiscent of the Ford Thunderbird

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - plenty of air for the radiator

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - generously glazed interior

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - independent front design

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - not everyone was enthusiastic about what was flowing out of the exhaust pipe

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - hardly any body modifications during the eight-year construction period

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - attractive two-tone paintwork

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - dashboard color-coordinated with the exterior paintwork

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - attractive interior

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the radio cost extra

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - Steering wheel with horn ring

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - no rev counter - hearing had to suffice

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the standard heater

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the rear bench seat was at best suitable for small children or as a luggage rack

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - Cabin ventilation can be closed manually

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - folding rear windows

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - three cylinders, almost 1 liter displacement

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the two-stroke engine produced over 50 DIN horsepower

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - bulging engine compartment

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - plenty of fresh air for the engine

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - no rings on the front

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the air scoop on the hood

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the four Auto Union rings on the rear

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the gasoline-oil mixture is filled in here

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - clearly visible, the rounded fins of the later models

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - the four Auto Union rings on the hubcap

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - in the style of the time - small wheels in large wheel arches

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - "Connoisseurs drive DKW"

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DKW 3=6 Sedan (1956) - the extension of the wheelbase by 100 mm gained a lot of space

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DKW 3=6 Luxury Coupé (1955) - the luxury coupé with two-tone paintwork

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DKW 3=6 Luxury Coupé (1957) - impressive chrome-plated radiator grille and new color combinations

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DKW 3=6 Sedan (1957) - now with 45 hp and a mixing ratio of 1 to 25

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Auto Union 1000 Coupé (1960) - also provided the technical basis for the more powerful 1000 SP models, among others

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Auto Union 1000 S Coupé (1960) - the roomy and economical wave with a sporty touch, was the headline of the AU marketing people

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Auto Union 1000 S Coupé (1960) - the wide panoramic windshield gives an even better view

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Auto Union 1000 S (1960) - the four-door saloon offered more space thanks to its longer wheelbase

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Auto Union 1000 S (1960) - four wide doors opening in opposite directions, long wheelbase, technically largely identical to the base on which the 1000 SP was built

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DKW 3=6 (1956) - see-through drawing - the later 1000 S and 1000 SP were based on the same technology

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DKW 3=6 (1956) - front-wheel drive, three cylinders, two-stroke principle - also the basis for the successors 1000 S and 1000 SP

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DKW 3=6 (1957) - the water-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke engine - powerful and compact

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Ford Thunderbird (1955) - with hardtop in attractive dark paintwork

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Ford Thunderbird (1956) - Freestanding spare wheel

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Ford Thunderbird (1954) - at the Paris Motor Show in 1954

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1957) - also for golfers - illustration in the 1957 sales brochure

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Auto Union 1000 Coupé (1957) - sketch - at the beginning, 56 hp was the order of the day

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1958) - Dimensions of the sports coupé

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1960) - 60 SAE horsepower and dreamlike lines - this is what dreams looked like in 1960

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1959) - flat and graceful front end

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1962) - the three-cylinder engine with 62 SAE horsepower

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1960) - Georges Theiler finished second in the Swiss championship in the touring car class in 1960

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1957) - it was already envisaged in the 1957 sales brochure, but it would be 1962 before it could be bought - the Roadster

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1957) - sweeping drawing of the open-top version

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1962) - no less pretty open than the Coupé

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1962) - ready for the show visitors

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1963) - already with the legendary fresh oil automatic transmission

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Summary

From 1957 to 1965, Auto Union built the 1000 Sp sports car, initially only as a coupé, later also as a roadster. Around 6,400 vehicles, most of them coupés, were produced and equipped with the proven technology of the DKW/Auto Union mass-produced models. This vehicle report tells the story of the beautiful coupé, describes a vehicle built in 1962 in detail in words and pictures and provides further insights with sales brochures and press documents.

This article contains the following chapters

Shapely with a role model
Technically independent
With freewheel
Built by hand
Exclusive pleasure
Continuous further development
Unconvinced trade press
Pleasant from the driver's perspective
A sought-after classic today
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"Driving in its most beautiful form ... as an open roadster, as a racy coupé - this vehicle has the temperament of youth and the comfort of technical maturity", wrote the Auto Union advertisers when they described the recently presented 1000 Sp sports car - "Sp" stood for "special" - in the 1957 sales brochure. It was elegant, sporty, but also quite expensive and exclusive, which is precisely why it is still particularly desirable today. The 1000 Sp was commissioned by William Werner, a German-American in the service of Auto Union. The brief to designer Josef Dienst was clear: a sports car with snappy lines was needed and it had to look like a bomb. It was no coincidence that Dienst looked to America and probably took the elegant yet modern lines of the Ford Thunderbird as his model.

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