DKW 3=6 (1956 – 1959) Review

The DKW 3=6 in had picked up a string victories in European touring car racing, and two of its drivers decided to develop to turn it into a road car by developing a sports body for it. Günther Ahrens and AW Mantzel designed a record-breaking car based on the 3=6 clothed in a lightweight plastic body specially manufactured by Dannenhauer & Stauss. The 980cc engine was tuned to deliver over 50bhp for racing purposes, but some engines reached 100bhp.

Several long-distance speed records were subsequently set at Monza in Italy in December 1956. A limited edition of about 230 of these models was made available and was called ‘Monza’. Heidelberg DKW dealer Fritz Wenk had them built by local engineering concern Massholder and later by Schenk in Stuttgart. These cars used a 55bhp 980cc engine, which could deliver a top speed of 100mph. Luckily the car’s handling was an impressive as its speed, but in the end only a handful were sold.