Wartburg 353
Green 1982 Wartburg 353W Tourist at the Bratislava Transport Museum (Bratislava, Slovakia)
The Wartburg 353, known in some export markets as the Wartburg Knight, is a midsize family car produced by the East German automaker AWE for its Wartburg brand. It was the successor to the Wartburg 311 and was itself succeeded by the Wartburg 1.3.
The Wartburg 353 was produced from 1966 to 1989, becoming the Wartburg with the longest production run. During its lifetime, it saw several changes and improvements, the most recognizable of which came in 1985 with a facelift of the front end and a new carburetor.
Like other Eastern European cars, it was known for its low price in export markets. Because of its forward center of gravity and front-wheel drive, the car had typical front-wheel-drive road-handling characteristics, displaying significant understeer, especially in wet conditions.
Overview
Its origins trace back to a 1938 DKW design, and it was powered by a two-stroke engine with only seven major moving parts: three pistons, three connecting rods, and a crankshaft. The engine was almost identical to the DKW-derived two-stroke unit used in the Saab 93, 95 and 96.
The Wartburg 353 was powered by a 1-liter, three-cylinder unit that took almost two decades to refine. While producing about 49 to 54 HP (37 to 40 kW), its two-stroke engine design provided more than 100 N⋅m of torque (106 N⋅m in the last version), which was a typical figure for many larger four-stroke engines at that time. The transmission was equipped with a freewheel, which eliminated the need to use the clutch between gears.
Orange 1972 Wartburg 353-1 at the Bratislava Transport Museum (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Characteristics
Manufacturer: Wartburg (VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE))
Assembly: Eisenach (East Germany)
Years of production: 1966—1989
Length: 4220 mm
Width: 1640 mm
Height: 1490 mm
Engine: 3 cylinders; 993 cc
Power: 50–56 HP
Max speed: 130 km/h
Fuel consumption: 10 l/100 km
Weight: 920 kg
See also:
