DKW 3=6 Monza: record car hits the road

By Ton Roks

| 16 Sep 2024

Classic & Sports Car – DKW 3=6 Monza: record car hits the road

DKW was a serious player in early-’50s motorsport, with its two-stroke-engined models securing multiple victories on European circuits and in rallying.

In 1954, DKWs occupied the first three places in Germany’s Touring Car championship; in ’55 it won the title again.

It also topped its class in the 1956 Rallye Monte-Carlo.

In the 1950s, the F91 3=6 – also known as the ‘Sonderklasse’ – raced at Zandvoort, and there were many specials equipped with its competitive three-cylinder, two-stroke engine.

The DKW coupé’s original Solitude name was changed to Monza after its record-breaking success at the Italian circuit

The unit’s performance inspired the name: it was considered by its maker to haul just as hard as a six-cylinder four-stroke, thus three equals six.

These two DKWs are particularly special. They are not saloons, such as the well-known 3=6s, but Monza sports coupés.

They are rare, for sure, but no one knows exactly how many have been built.

Some suggest the number is between 230 and 240; others think as few as 70.

“We are paid to build them, not count them,” a former factory worker reportedly said.

The DKW 3=6 Monza’s bodywork has clean, elegant lines, but subtle differences in production specifications mean repairs can be painstaking and time-consuming

It’s not clear how many have survived, either; when a register for the Monzas was created, only about 40 owners came forward. Presumably quite a few cars perished in competition.

How this lightweight DKW got its Italian name is a story in itself.

Initially, the compact coupé was named after the Solitude circuit near Stuttgart, to emphasise its competition ambitions.

However, a turn of fate would result in it swiftly being renamed.

The origins of the innovative little DKW lie in the first half of the 1950s, when the German automotive industry was still recovering from WW2.

The DKW’s two-stroke triple has its own ignition coil for each cylinder to create the best-possible spark

Between the Volkswagen Beetle and the Porsche 356, there were few affordable options that would appeal to a sports car enthusiast.

Several coachbuilding firms, such as Drews, Rometsch, Hebmüller and Dannenhauer & Stauss, jumped into the market, building chic convertibles and coupés based on the Beetle, which then proliferated at car shows and in competition.

Herr Stauss was subsequently approached by renowned DKW tuner Mantzel, with a proposition to build a sporty body on the chassis of a ‘Deek’.

Stauss agreed, and the first 3=6 sports coupé was created with a steel shell and a wheelbase shortened by 100mm.

The prototype was revealed at the 1955 Frankfurt show, and the positive reactions to it led to a production programme being agreed – this time using a moulded glassfibre body, inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette.

DKW 3=6 Monza production numbers vary. Some reports suggest as many as 240 were built, while others believe the figure could be as low as 70

The first examples were constructed on the chassis of the standard DKW F91, but later cars used the F93 platform, which was slightly wider but not shortened.

The engine remained at 896cc, but tuned to increase output to 40bhp.

With its sleek, streamlined body weighing 125kg less than that of the donor DKW, the modest output went remarkably far, achieving a top speed of almost 90mph.

In the autumn of 1957 engine capacity grew to 980cc, with power increasing first to 44bhp, then to 50bhp and later 55bhp – with almost 100mph possible when it was mated to a longer final-drive ratio.

Manufacturing the plastic bodies was time-consuming and, because there was insufficient capacity at Dannenhauer & Stauss to build the Solitudes at pace, production was partially outsourced to Massholder and to Schenk.

“They are fine engines, but they don’t like standing still. If you want to keep them in good condition, they have to be driven regularly”

Each firm did things a little differently, so details vary – and sometimes more than that.

For example, Dannenhauer & Stauss fitted the tail-lights from a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, and later those of a Porsche 356; Massholder used 190SL headlights and BMW 502 tail-lights, which were also employed by Schenk.

The coachwork differed, too, so body parts and windows were not interchangeable.

It was DKW driver Heinz Meier who started trying to get a speed record plan off the ground, together with Karlsruhe-based dealer Günther Ahrens.

The car they prepared for that purpose was a 3=6 Solitude, chassis number 6, built by Dannenhauer & Stauss and equipped with a special 50bhp, 984cc motor.

Three different coachbuilders created DKW 3=6 Monza bodies, so no two cars are the same – note this car’s smaller bonnet

The car had already raced in Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland, and proved reliable.

The team envisioned Montlhéry as the ideal track for the record run, but needed the help of Dunlop, Castrol and Bosch as backers.

Unfortunately, with the onset of the 1956 Suez Crisis, there was no longer a guarantee that Montlhéry could be used.

Hockenheim was an option, but the team discovered that the sharp Stadtkurve, which required significant braking, was too taxing on the stoppers and detrimental to the average speed.

Ahrens and Meier had one other option: Monza, then the fastest, most modern and most beautiful race track in the world, with a wide, 2.6-mile inner ring and a long, banked curve around which 175mph was possible – almost double the stock coupé’s maximum.

The record-breaking DKW 3=6 Solitude, as it was called, at Monza in 1956

Shell would supply the fuel, but there were concerns.

The ridges between the concrete slabs of the banking were punishing at high speed: would the Solitude’s flimsy bodywork survive over thousands of laps?

The team loaded up the Solitude and set off from Düsseldorf in December 1956, through the harsh winter weather.

At Monza they were met by the Italian DKW importer and Gianni Restelli, the director of the circuit.

The latter observed the laden 3=6 coupé with interest and asked when the trailer with the record car would arrive.

When told it was the car in front of him, he couldn’t believe his eyes, thinking it was a joke.

This poster is one of the few pieces of promotion parent company Auto Union did to celebrate the DKW’s achievements

Restelli was convinced he and his observers could go home within a few hours: to drive from Düsseldorf to Monza through wind and snow, and then attempt to break world records in the same car could not be anything other than a bold display of hubris, could it?

But the DKW didn’t miss a beat, effortlessly turning in laps at an average of around 90mph.

It crushed several records, the most important being that for 10,000km.

It had previously stood at a 123.14kph (76.52mph) average, but the Solitude posted 139.453kph (86.65mph), including fuel stops.

A total of 72 hours had been driven, with average fuel consumption at a frugal 12.3 litres per 100km (23mpg).

The achievement was immediately put to use as the production coupé was renamed Monza, yet DKW parent firm Auto Union’s media department had little appetite for promotion, not even issuing a press release.

That both DKW 3=6 Monzas are by different coachbuilders is betrayed by small differences. The light-blue car (right) is from Schenk, while the silver one is by Dannenhauer & Stauss

Remarkably, one enthusiast in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, owns not one but two 3=6 Monzas: a light blue 1956 example by Schenk, and a silver ’57 from Dannenhauer & Stauss.

Among the differences are the engine covers, with the latter featuring a much larger bonnet incorporating the grille.

Both were restored to as-new by Garage De Basis in Leeuwarden, led by Peter Commijs together with mechanic Marijke de Vos.

They are true gems with smooth, streamlined bodies, inside of which there is plenty of room – those 72 hours at the wheel would not have been such a tiring task for the four alternating, record-setting drivers.

The DKW 3=6 Monza’s transmission tunnel-free cabin is spacious

Mounted way up front is the three-cylinder engine, with the radiator behind.

The compact triple has its own ignition coil for each cylinder, ensuring that the 6V system provides the three plugs with the strongest-possible spark.

Both cars feature a freewheel set-up, which protects against the two-stroke’s inherent lack of lubrication on the overrun and means that the brake has to be used much more than in a car with a four-stroke unit.

Because of the Monza’s low weight – just 770kg – this isn’t a problem in practice.

According to Peter, the carefully prepared and reworked two-strokes are now good for up to 55bhp – enough for the Monzas to exceed 90mph with ease.

The DKW 3=6 Monza’s simple dashboard houses two big dials

The overhauls were hefty jobs.

“They are fine engines,” says Peter, “well put together, with needle bearings for the big ends.

“I’m not surprised that they used to do so well in motor racing, but they really don’t like standing still.

“If you want to maintain them in good condition, they have to be driven regularly.

“The crankshaft is lubricated for life, with ball bearings that are sealed together with their grease.

“If they sit still for a long time, that grease gets old and claggy, and no longer gives optimum lubrication.

“In addition, the lower balls of the bearings can get a flat side when they are left for a long time due to the weight of the crankshaft, which is constantly resting on them. You have to watch out for that.”

This DKW 3=6 Monza pair has been restored which was, at times, a painstaking process

The bodies have given Peter and Marijke quite a few headaches.

“Nothing was as we expected it to be,” Peter continues. “We had to make new door trims for one of them.

“When I finished one, I thought a mirrored version would suffice for the other side. I was wrong: as it turned out, there was a 2cm difference in length between the two doors.”

But that was a relatively minor challenge compared with the new nose the pair had to make for the blue Monza.

There was virtually nothing left of it when the car was driven into Garage De Basis.

Peter says: “It was burnt-out when we got it here. At one stage, someone installed a 12V electrical system and a short-circuit had started a fire.”

The DKW 3=6 Monza by Dannenhauer & Stauss has a stylish, red-trimmed interior

“I had to have the nose completely redone, without a mould,” he continues.

“That was a really huge job, enough to give you grey hairs. And making the new Perspex rear window, exactly to size, was also no mean feat.”

Finding the right components wasn’t easy either, especially since the three coachbuilders sourced items such as lighting and hardware from a variety of suppliers.

“It took a lot of time to figure out where the mechanisms had come from to open and close the windows,” says Peter.

“We needed new ones and eventually Marijke worked out that they were from a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.

“They couldn’t be found, so I ended up making them myself.”

Both these DKW 3=6 Monzas are owned by one enthusiast

The friendly, gurgling engine of one of these Monzas was able to carry a special message to the 1000 Miglia in June: that two-strokes need not always be the sources of dirty, oily exhaust fumes.

It travelled the 1000 miles on Ecomaxx’s Bike Fuel 2, a new ‘clean’ petrol designed for two-strokes.

“Since the 1970s there has been little development in this fuel,” says chemical engineer Ernst van Gelder.

“But there is still quite a demand – not only for classic mopeds, but also chainsaws and so on.

“We picked up the thread and started from scratch, and with good reason: in Sweden, for example, there are strict requirements for fuel quality because of the working conditions of the people who have to use chainsaws and other motorised tools.

“So we have developed a new, ready-to-use two-stroke fuel, using clean alkylate gasoline as a base and a quality oil that’s still capable of lubricating well at high temperatures and burning efficiently at low temperatures.

“We were able to test extensively and perfect it in the world of motocross.”

The DKW’s glassfibre body has some neat design touches

The Monzas are fired up to pose for the camera and, sure enough, there are no clouds of smoke, no unpleasant smells and no greasy fumes – just the enthusiastic noises of two-stroke triples, impatient and eager for action.

Peter is impressed by the development: “If you open up a two-stroke engine, you usually see plenty of soot in the cylinder heads from burned oil.

“I took the head off one of these cars after it had run a few hundred kilometres on the new fuel and it was spotless, as if straight out of the box.”

DKW already has some history at the original Mille Miglia, too.

The standard 3=6, the four-seat Luxus Coupé, competed several times: two entries in 1954, four in ’55 and another two in ’56.

They covered the 1000 miles in about 15 hours, which is highly impressive for cars of such a small displacement.

This DKW 3=6 Monza’s three-cylinder, two-stroke engine runs on a ‘clean’ petrol

In those three years, the DKWs finished successively 70th, 110th and 119th overall in the increasingly rapid field, plus eighth in class twice and fifth once.

The lighter Monza would undoubtedly have done a lot better with its higher top speed, but it never got the chance because the Mille Miglia was finished before full production was under way.

The retrospective officially allows only cars of a type that ran the Mille Miglia when new, but occasionally organisers admit other interesting cars of the period.

In the recent past, the Monza owned by Audi’s museum collection has competed twice.

Indeed, the blue DKW 3=6 Monza pictured here, piloted by Ramon Bourguignon and Anne Meine Gramsma, finished 289th overall and 201st in its class at 2024’s 1000 Miglia, which took place from 11-15 June.

And we’re sure it turned many heads along the way.

Images: Luuk van Kaathoven

Factfile

DKW 3=6 Monza

Sold/number built 1957/c100
Construction box-section steel chassis, glassfibre body
Engine iron-block, alloy-head 980cc two-stroke triple, Solex carburettor
Max power 55bhp @ 4500rpm
Max torque 65lb ft @ 3500rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, FWD
Suspension: front independent, by lower wishbones rear beam axle, radius arms; transverse leaf spring, telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes drums
Length 13ft 2¼in (4020mm)
Width 5ft 5⅔in (1669mm)
Height 4ft 5⅛in (1350mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 8½in (2350mm)
Weight 1698lb (770kg)
Mpg 26
0-60mph 22 secs
Top speed 93mph
Price new DM11,175 (1957)
Price now £50,000*