words: Bill, photos: Dane Stewart
I was really excited…I found a pristine Mars Red 1983 Audi Quattro that was perfect; started to write about it, and then…thought to search on our website to see if I had posted it before and lo and behold, I did back in September 2019. I was fooled by new photos of the Quattro. Oh well…it’s still for sale if anyone is interested.
However, this Find of the Day I know I’ve never featured. What you see here is an Auto Union DKW F89l Schnellaster Kastenwagen or Schnellaster for short. Schnellaster translate into Rapid Transporter which I’m sure back in its heyday, it wasn’t. It was produced in Ingolstadt from 1949 to 1962 and was the 1st vehicle produced by Auto Union when it was re-established in West Germany. This ad doesn’t list a year but not much changed in the 13 years of production. Here’s the ad:
Located near Great Falls, Montana. More photos/info on request. CALLS ONLY. I do not have cell service here and cannot babysit the computer all day. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Call 406 62two-296two Hemmings said “Records are imprecise, but it’s likely that less than 1,000 Kastenwagens were delivered to U.S. customers before DKW ceased operations in 1966; of these, six are known to survive, but only two are in restored form.” Well now there are SEVEN (and the seventh one could be yours).
Here’s a couple links so you know what you are looking at:
https://www.classic.com/veh/1956-dkw-schnellaster-kastenwagen-36-f800322512640-RWLPqxW/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w45XcIV4U-8
Auto Union was originally founded in 1932 during the merger of four brands – Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. The company DKW (which originated from the German words for “steam powered wagon”) joined the “Auto Union” and began experimenting in small car production. The DKW name was already a huge success in the motorcycle industry, and as such, nearly instantly became Auto Union’s “main volume brand”, producing around 220,000 cars Throughout the 1930’s. However, as quickly as the Auto Union star was born, it began to fade. Due to the war efforts of the time, production at Auto Union halted. Meanwhile, DKW’s car factories were turned over to manufacturing aircraft components and in 1948, the “Pre war Auto Union” company was dissolved.
The following year Germany would be divided by the “die innerdeutsche Grenze” (internal German border) separating the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. After an unfortunate loss of it’s production tooling and facilities due to shifting geographic reign and post war adversities, a new Auto Union was founded. Built under the Auto Union name, the DKW F89L was the first vehicle to be manufactured by the new conglomerate following the re-establishment of the business.
The newly born DKW F89L Schnellaster would bring back to life the historical and beloved DKW name, while bearing the Auto Union’s distinctive logo with the four interlocking rings which would later become synonymous with it’s well known successor, the Audi company. This vehicle does not run but is complete and has a clear title and key. It is equipped with a 3 cylinder, two cycle engine and a manual transmission on the column. It has a full frame. It has been sitting for 40 years outside so even though it is all there, it is weather beaten and in need of restoration or use it as a donor body for a custom build. (last three photos for inspiration) Located near Great Falls, Montana. More photos/info on request. CALLS ONLY. I do not have cell service here and cannot babysit the computer all day. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Call 406 62two-296two
It’s a long way from Ingolstadt. It’s a front-wheel drive…long before quattro. It’s also a panel van; they produced a minibus version, a precursor to the minivan of today. If the seller is correct, it’s one of seven in the States. It’s in rough shape but the patina is perfect. The seller will only take phone calls for it so it may be on sale for awhile. If you are interested in early history of Audi and you have an idea for a rad food truck, you can find this Schnellaster van HERE.
By the way, if you’re curious, here are the newer photos of the 1983 Audi Quattro. I had already downloaded and tagged them so I might as well use them.
