The Wanderer W52 was a short-lived sister model of the Wanderer W23, offered by Auto Union in 1937. It paired the W23’s six-cylinder engine with a longer wheelbase and the more modern swing rear axle, but found only about 1,400 buyers.
Wanderer W52 at a glance
| Maker | Auto Union AG, Wanderer brand |
|---|---|
| Production | 1937 only |
| Engine | 2,651 cc six-cylinder in line, side-valve, shared with the W23 |
| Power | 62 PS at 3,300 rpm |
| Wheelbase | 3 m, 10 cm more than the W23 |
| Rear axle | swing axle, unlike the W23’s live axle |
| Bodies | four-door saloon with six windows, two-door cabriolet with four windows |
| Sold | about 1,400 |
| Replaced by | nothing – the model was withdrawn at the end of 1937 |
The W52 is described in a section of the German Wikipedia article on the Wanderer W 23; this page is based on that one source. No free photographs of the W52 itself were found.
History of the Wanderer W52
Auto Union added the W52 to its 1937 programme as a sister model to the Wanderer W23. The two cars shared the 2,651 cc six-cylinder engine, rated at 62 PS, but the W52 sat on a chassis with a 3 m wheelbase, 10 cm longer than the W23’s 2.9 m.
The reason for the second model was the rear suspension. The W23 used a live axle with a high transverse leaf spring, a cheaper arrangement adopted to keep its price down. The W52 kept the swing axle, and was aimed at customers who valued the more modern chassis layout and were prepared to pay for the longer body.
The W52 was available as a four-door saloon with six windows and as a two-door cabriolet with four windows. Sales did not follow the plan: only about 1,400 buyers were found, and the model disappeared from the range at the end of 1937, after a single season.
The W52 belongs to the last generation of Wanderer passenger cars. Auto Union stopped building cars of the brand because of the war in 1941, and the marque was not revived after the Second World War.
Design and features
- Shared six-cylinder engine: the same 2,651 cc, 62 PS unit as the Wanderer W23.
- Longer wheelbase: 3 m instead of the W23’s 2.9 m, giving more room for passengers.
- Swing rear axle: the more modern suspension that the cheaper W23 had given up.
- Two body styles: a four-door six-window saloon and a two-door four-window cabriolet.
- One-season model: about 1,400 cars sold before it was withdrawn at the end of 1937.
Wanderer W52 versions
- Four-door saloon: a six-window closed body on the 3 m chassis.
- Two-door cabriolet: a four-window open body.
The W52 shared its engine with the Wanderer W23, the cheaper sister model, while the four-cylinder car of the same years was the Wanderer W24. More cars are in the Wanderer collection.
Sources
- Wanderer W 23, German Wikipedia: the W52 section: engine, chassis, bodies, sales
