1953 DKW F89 L52 Schnellaster

Artcurial, Paris, France 1 November

‘1953 DKW F89 L52 Schnellaster,’ says the catalogue. ‘Estimate: €40,000-60,000.’ We can’t help feeling that the Ingolstadt engineers responsible for this little van must be having a good laugh at the expense of the collector car world right now, because the Schnellaster (‘Rapid Transporter’), was hardly lusted a er in its day. Conceived in ’49 as DKW’s first post-war project, it was utilitarian in the extreme. Pick-up and panel-van variants were offered; the floor was made flat throughout to increase cargo space; to the same end the engine was mounted transversely; and the engine bay contained the fuel tank as well as the radiator and noisy 688cc two-stroke motor. (The Schnellaster would not have scored highly in a Euro NCAP safety test.) It was a worthy little thing, but not good…

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Octane (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2015

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