The DKW F102.
The press photograph on this page shows a new DKW saloon, destined for the UK market as part of the Auto Union range of vehicles, best known of the brands being Audi in the case of UK buyers. The information that comes with the photos says:
"A sleek newcomer to the British market, the DKW F.102 reverses a trend in having its price reduced by more than 75 GBP to 899 GBP before the first one has been sold in Britain. Powered by a 1,175cc engine driving the front wheels, it has been developed under the watchful eye of chief Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car development engineer Herr Rudi Uhlenhaut and has a sustained cruising speed of 85 mph."
Was the initial launch price simply too high in the first place, or were Auto Union worried that UK buyers, still a fairly conservative bunch in the 1960s, would stick to their home-grown motorcars, and shun this German offering? I don't remember seeing many DKW or Auto Union branded cars on UK roads in the 70s, so I doubt they sold in great numbers. With British 2 door saloons such as the Cortina, Anglia, Minx, 1100/1300 and others already on sale in the UK, it seems that the DKW offering brought nothing much new to this segment of the market.
Return to the old transport photos - Page 5.
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