Wartburg

The Wartburg 311 was produced by VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach between 1956 and 1965 and became one of East Germany’s best-known post-war cars. Derived from the pre-war DKW F9 design, the 311 retained a front-wheel-drive layout and a 901 cc, three-cylinder two-stroke engine, reflecting its Auto Union origins. The car was offered in a remarkably wide variety of body styles, including saloon, coupé, roadster, pickup and estate versions. Although its separate chassis construction made these variations possible, it also gave the Wartburg an increasingly outdated appearance as Western manufacturers moved towards lower, monocoque-bodied cars. In 1962 the engine capacity was enlarged to 992 cc. An updated interim model, the Wartburg 312, appeared in 1965 with a modernised chassis developed for the later Wartburg 353. Production of the 312 station wagon continued until 1967 alongside the introduction of its successor.