Details of Cars

DKW F11 and F12: the Junior grows into a bigger car

DKW

1963 DKW F11 Junior de Luxe
1963 DKW F11 Junior de Luxe. Photo by Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The DKW F12 was the last version of the Junior line and the most advanced small DKW yet: an 889 cc three-cylinder two-stroke and, for the first time in its class, front disc brakes. The cheaper F11 followed a few months later with the old 796 cc engine, and both disappeared when Volkswagen took over Auto Union in 1965.

DKW F11 and F12 at a glance

DKW F11 and F12 key facts
Maker Auto Union, Ingolstadt
F12 in production from January 1963
F11 in production from August 1963
Predecessor DKW Junior de Luxe
F12 engine 889 cc three-cylinder two-stroke, 40 bhp
F11 engine 796 cc three-cylinder two-stroke
F12 Roadster 1964, 45 bhp from the same 889 cc engine
Brakes front discs on the F12, a first in this class
Gearbox four-speed manual, column-mounted lever
Prices, New Zealand 1965 £998 for the F11, £1,198 for the F12

History of the DKW F11 and F12

From Junior to F12

The Junior had been the only DKW-badged car on sale since 1957, and in January 1963 its de Luxe version was replaced by the DKW F12. Outwardly little changed: the C pillar became more angular. Under the bonnet the engine grew to 889 cc and the claimed output rose to 40 bhp (30 kW). The bigger news was the brakes — the F12 was the first car in its class with front disc brakes. The motoring press liked it, though high import duties held sales back in some markets: in July 1965 the F11 and F12 cost £998 and £1,198 in New Zealand.

1964 DKW F12
1964 DKW F12. Photo by Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The cheaper F11

In August 1963 the Junior’s 796 cc engine reappeared in the DKW F11, in effect a reduced-specification F12. It sold alongside the more expensive car until production of the two-stroke DKWs was wound down after Volkswagen bought Auto Union from Daimler-Benz in the summer of 1965.

The Roadster

A cabriolet had been part of the Junior story from the start, and in 1964 the F12 Roadster arrived with 45 bhp (34 kW) from its 889 cc three-cylinder. That more powerful engine was also offered in the F12 saloon for a few months from February 1965. Contemporary road tests were kind: a New Zealand magazine called the F12 ‘a pleasant car offering quiet and comfortable motoring with excellent amenities’, rapid for its size and reliable over long distances, while a South African journal thought the subtle changes to the Junior had produced something of an aristocrat among light cars.

Design and features

  • 889 cc engine: the largest three-cylinder fitted to the Junior line, with 40 bhp in the F12.
  • Front disc brakes: the F12 was the first car in its class to have them.
  • Roadster: a 45 bhp open version arrived in 1964.
  • Column gear lever: the four-speed gearbox was worked by a lever on the steering column.
  • Two levels of trim: the cheaper F11 kept the 796 cc engine of the Junior de Luxe.

DKW F11 and F12 versions

  • F12 saloon (1963–1965): 889 cc, 40 bhp, front disc brakes.
  • F11 (1963–1965): reduced specification with the 796 cc engine.
  • F12 Roadster (1964): cabriolet with 45 bhp.
  • Late F12 saloon (1965): the Roadster’s 45 bhp engine offered for a few months.

The F11 and F12 followed the DKW Junior and were the last small two-stroke DKWs before the DKW F102. More cars are in the DKW collection.

Sources

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