How Had I Never Heard Of This Car Before?

"Raphael Orlove" (orlove) 12/16/2013 at 22:44 • Filed to: Cars You Didn't Know About, DKW, Audi, Truck Yeah

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And I thought I was a DKW fan!

I spotted this while looking for ads for the old (and quite cutting edge) DKW F1 on Hugo90's Flickr page. I didn't find any F1 ads, but I did see this with the following caption.

Auto Union - DKW was sold in the USA by Mercedes-Benz Sales, that was part of Studebaker, though only some Studebaker dealers handled these models.

Here is the rest of the four page brochure from 1960. Man, we used to get every kind of imported car back in the day.

Photo Credits: Mercedes, or maybe Studebaker, or maybe Audi, or maybe Hugo90. In any case, you can find these images !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > Raphael Orlove 12/16/2013 at 22:48

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Who needs doors when ya got ropes?!?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Raphael Orlove 12/16/2013 at 22:48

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"I spotted this while looking for ads for the old (and quite cutting edge) DKW F1"

What other automotive blog/magazine are you going to find authors who do this?

Raphael Orlove > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 12/16/2013 at 23:01

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yer gart-durned right!

Raphael Orlove > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 12/16/2013 at 23:02

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I should get my act together and write a history of the early back-and-forth development of front wheel drive between Germany, the US, and France.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Raphael Orlove 12/16/2013 at 23:03

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I will buy that if you do. For reals. Just ask Doug DeMuro...

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Raphael Orlove 12/16/2013 at 23:13

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Or, just part 2...

Flachzwilling > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 02:13

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Fun fact: This cute little ... well ... thing was the german equivalent of the Jeep, serving in the army as DKW Munga for more than a decade until relieved by the also sub-standard VW Iltis.

Maxaxle > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 12/17/2013 at 11:45

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JalopMeter gives fifty points just for that.

Lupin3rd > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:29

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Yes here in Europe it was sold as Dkw Munga

Raphael Orlove > Flachzwilling 12/17/2013 at 16:31

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wait, so this thing was the precursor to the Kubelwagen?

TroyQueef > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:40

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No, the Kubelwagen was used in WWII by the Wehrmacht. The DKW was introduced after the war, in the 1950s, if I remember correctly, when the Bundeswehr was founded.

505Turbeaux > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:42

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Kubel was WW2 tech (2wd), along with the (4wd) VW Schwimmwagen and Kommandeurwagen

Munga came out post war

BPDChief > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:44

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No...bronco came out in late 50's or early 60's...küblewagen was WWII

Stephan Kippe > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:53

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Yes, and no. It was
the spiritual successor to
the original WW2 Kübelwagen (VW82). When Munga production ended in 1968, it was replaced by the VW 181 (or Thing in the US), which was never officially called Kübel.
After that the 4wd VW Iltis followed (actually developed at Audi) in 1978. The Iltis drivetrain later built the basis of the first Audi Quattro drivetrain.
Since the early 90s the Bundeswehr uses Mercedes G versions, they are internally called 'Wolf'.

teh_d3th_st4r > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 16:57

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Thomas Cotrel > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:00

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"Power wench"? I wonder what she looks like.....

ASEp2 > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:01

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ermagerd..... the "Henry-Ford-was-a-Nazi-sympathizer" movement just gained a little more traction..... from beyond the grave, no less!

DanielC > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:18

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Somebody ought to do a comparison/spec article on all the Jeep-like imports that tried to capture the American market but didn't succeed or have staying power because, well, there's already a Jeep available.

Examples: Nissan Patrol, Suzuki Samurai, Fj40

TechWeasel > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:19

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I am confused... was the Power Wench standard or an option?

gzdesign > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:32

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Maybe you do know it better as the car that evolved into the VW Iltis, whose AWD system was stuck into this car:

If that was too much stretched out, it was just to post that image. If that's a crime, I plead guilty.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 17:43

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There are a couple of DKW Munga for sale at mobile.de, one very near my home in very good shape for 4,444 Euro:

http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/a…

More Oldtimer DKW, including Munga, here: http://suchen.mobile.de/auto/oldtimer-…

They were also made by Vemag in Brazil, where they are called the DKW Candango.

Here is the Candango Club: http://www.dkwcandango.com.br/

Raphael Orlove > gzdesign 12/17/2013 at 17:44

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I didn't realize that this car is like, the grandfather of the Quattro! So cool

Raphael Orlove > DanielC 12/17/2013 at 17:46

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Hey, that is a good idea!

lastweek > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 18:07

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And assembled in Brazil as DKW Candango with FWD and 4WD versions:

http://www.dkwcandango.com.br/11%20Fotos/Fot…

DanielC > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 18:15

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And in fairness, how the Jeep fared in various overseas markets against Jeep-like clones. (Land Rovers in Africa, etc)

David Combs > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 19:44

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8 forward speeds, 2 reverse speeds and a mechanical handbrake on all 4 wheels? I gotcher VW Thing right here.

Corsair-V > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 22:03

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South Bend may have just won a brownie point with me tonight.

ranwhenparked > Raphael Orlove 12/17/2013 at 22:05

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I used to subscribe to Military Vehicles magazine, and I remember Mungas coming up for sale fairly often for such a rare vehicle in the US. I am now wondering if at least some of them were actually these Broncos customized into military lookalikes, like those kits that were available for VW Things for a while.

bobrayner > DanielC 12/17/2013 at 22:43

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Very few Jeeps sold in most of Africa. Not for technical reasons, more a question of business strategy, small importers with national loyalties &c. Plenty of Land Rovers in many of the former British colonies of course, but Toyota everywhere :-)

The G-wagen was never a big competitor, even in places like Mauritania where practically every vehicle on the road is a 1980s Mercedes (including the "buses" and trucks).

Flachzwilling > Stephan Kippe 12/18/2013 at 03:02

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Ah, indeed, I forgot the 181...(in itself literally a fascinating "thing")

It is strange that up to the VW Iltis all post-war light trucks were quite inferior compared to their wartime predecessors...

DConsorti > Reborn Pyrrhic 12/18/2013 at 05:31

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DKW have a large fan club here in Brazil.

The Candango is a rare car to find. Most of them are in collections or were destroyed.

Dragmasterflash > Raphael Orlove 12/18/2013 at 10:32

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So, this is an Audi named after a Ford being sold by Mercedes? Wow!

Please tell me it had a BMW engine.

Reborn Pyrrhic > DConsorti 12/18/2013 at 13:38

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My mom learned to drive on a Vemaguette, two stroke, free wheeling clutch and all that. Last time she visited here we went to a classic car show and she was excited to see a DKW on display.

DConsorti > Reborn Pyrrhic 12/18/2013 at 13:48

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The most fun thing in Vemaguete was the smell of wo stroke gas you get jus for riding in one!

J-Tenno > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 12/21/2013 at 08:27

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He'd say he can't do it with the excuse of not having pants on.

special_k_side > DanielC 01/02/2014 at 15:03

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The Samurai was killed by Consume Repots doing unfair testing, and failing to make it roll. Suzuki won the court battle, and continued on with the Sidekick, and later Vitara up until 2004 when they lost the solid chassis. Even though the 'Kick and the Vitara were IFS, both are a valid, strong off-roader.

Shoggin > Raphael Orlove 02/14/2017 at 12:01

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Raph, you ever get around to writing that article?