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

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Created on October 20, 2012

Reading time 7min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Balz Schreier

19

Bruno von Rotz

17

Archiv

27

Balz Schreier

19

Bruno von Rotz

17

Archiv

27

Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - hübsche Silhouette

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die Rückspiegel wurden wohl später nachgerüstet

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - fährt sich mühelos und angenehm

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - bis 145 km/h lief der Zweitakter

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - ein kleiner König der Landstrasse

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die Karosserien wurden von Baur weitgehend in Handarbeit hergestellt

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - das Design konnte sich auch im Vergleich zur Konkurrenz sehen lassen

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - das Modell 1962 hatte bereits die abgerundeten Flossen

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die Gestaltung der Heckflossen liess Anklänge an den Ford Thunderbird aufblitzen

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - viel Luft für den Wasserkühler

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - grosszügig verglaster Innenraum

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - eigenständige Frontgestaltung

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - nicht alle waren begeistert ob dem, was da aus dem Auspuffrohr strömte

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - kaum Karosserieanpassungen während der achtjährigen Bauzeit

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - attraktive Zweifarbenlackierung

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - farblich auf die Aussenlackierung abgestimmtes Armaturenbrett

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - attraktives Interieur

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - das Radio kostete Aufpreis

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - Lenkrad mit Hupring

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - kein Drehzahlmesser - das Gehör musste reichen

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die serienmässige Heizung

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die Sitzbank hinten taugte höchstens für kleine Kinder oder als Gepäckablage

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - Kabinenentlüftung manuell schliessbar

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - ausklappbare Fensterchen hinten

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - drei Zylinder, knapp 1 Liter Hubraum

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - der Zweitakter leistete über 50 DIN-PS

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - prall gefüllter Motorraum

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - viel frische Luft für den Motor

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - keine Ringe auf der Front

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die Lufthutze auf der Fronthaube

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die vier Auto-Union-Ringe auf dem Heck

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - hier wird das Benzin-Öl-Gemisch eingefüllt

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - gut sichtbar, die abgerundeten Flossen der späteren Modelle

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - die vier Auto-Union-Ringe auf der Radkappe

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - im Stil der Zeit - kleine Räder in grossen Radhäusern

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1962) - "Kenner fahren DKW"

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DKW 3=6 Limousine (1956) - durch die Verlängerung des Radstands um 100 mm gewann man viel Platz

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DKW 3=6 Luxus Coupé (1955) - das Luxus-Coupé mit zweifarbiger Lackierung

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DKW 3=6 Luxus Coupé (1957) - eindrucksvoller verchromter Kühlergrill und neue Farbkombinationen

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DKW 3=6 Limousine (1957) - nun mit 45 PS und Mischverhältnis 1 zu 25

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Auto Union 1000 Coupé (1960) - bot unter anderem auch die technische Basis für die stärkeren 1000 SP Modelle

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Auto Union 1000 S Coupé (1960) - der geräumige und sparsame Wogen mit der sportlichen Note, titelten die AU-Marketingleute

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Auto Union 1000 S Coupé (1960) - die weit herumgezogene Panorama-Frontscheibe gibt einen noch besseren Ausblick

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Auto Union 1000 S (1960) - die viertürige Limousine bot dank längerem Radstand mehr Platz

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Auto Union 1000 S (1960) - vier weit und gegenläufig öffnende Türen, langer Radstand, technisch weitgehend identisch mit der Basis, auf der auch der 1000 SP aufsetzte

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DKW 3=6 (1956) - Durchsichtszeichnung - die späteren 1000 S und 1000 SP basierten auf derselben technischen Basis

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DKW 3=6 (1956) - Frontantrieb, drei Zylinder, Zweitaktprinzip - so auch die Basis für die Nachfolger 1000 S und 1000 SP

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DKW 3=6 (1957) - der wassergekühlte Dreizylinder-Zweitaktmotor - leistungsfähig und kompakt

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Ford Thunderbird (1955) - mit Hardtop in attraktiver dunkler Lackierung

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Ford Thunderbird (1956) - Freistehendes Reserverad

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Ford Thunderbird (1954) - am Automobilsalon von Paris im Jahr 1954

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1957) - auch für Golfspieler - Illustration im Verkaufsprospekt von 1957

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Auto Union 1000 Coupé (1957) - Skizze - zu Beginn waren 56 PS angesagt

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Auto Union 1000 SP (1958) - Abmessungen des Sportcoupés

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1960) - 60 SAE-PS und eine traumhafte Linienführung - so sahen Träume aus im Jahr 1960

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1959) - flache und zierliche Frontpartie

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1962) - der Dreizylindermotor mit 62 SAE-PS

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Auto Union 1000 Sp (1960) - Georges Theiler wurde im Jahr 1960 in der Schweizermeisterschaft Zweiter in der Tourenwagenklasse

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1957) - schon im Verkaufsprospekt von 1957 war er angedacht, aber es sollte 1962 werden, bis man ihn kaufen konnte - den Roadster

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1957) - schwungvolle Zeichnung der offenen Version

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Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster (1962) - offen keinen Deut weniger hübsch als das Coupé

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1962) - bereit für die Salonbesucher

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Auto Union SP Roadster (1963) - bereits mit der sagenumwobenen Frischöl-Automatik

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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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