Wartburg Car

The Wartburg car had a more powerful version of the 3 cylinder 2-stroke engine driving the front wheels and a completely new body. Exports to West Germany started in 1958, and by the early 60s the car was exported to many countries in the world, including the US. The 311 model was manufactured in a number of variations, such as pick-up, station wagon, and a 2-seater roadster. Many Wartburgs are still used as rally racing cars. The engine was enlarged to 992 cc in 1962 and a completely new body was manufactured after 1966. Also in 1966 the gearbox gained synchromesh on all speeds. The new car, the 353 was based on a Polish-built Warszawa 210 and remained in production for decades with minor modifications. The two-stroke engine was replaced by a 1300 cc four stroke Volkswagen engine in 1988. The sports car Melkus RS 1000 used a mid-mounted 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine from the Wartburg 353.