IFA F9 - 56

The IFA F9 was a compact saloon manufactured under the

auspices of the Russian and East German states between

1949 or 1950 and 1956. It was initially built at Zwickau at

the plant previously owned by Auto Union. In 1953

production was transferred to the former BMW

manufacturing plant at Eisenach where its underpinnings

subsequently found their way into the Wartburg 311.

Origins

Mechanically   the   F9   derived   from   the   DKW   F8   which   had   been   available   between   1939   and   1942. The   body   closely   followed   the   design   of   the   DKW   F9,   a   prototype   with   which   Auto   Union   would have   replaced   the   F8   on   the   Zwickau   production   lines   earlier,   had   the   war   not   intervened. After the   war,   the   first   car   assembled   at   Zwickau   was   the   prewar   DKW   F8,   but   the   more   modern   F9 started    to    appear    in    1949    or    1950    (sources    differ).    Materials    shortages    probably    delayed introduction   in   both   German   states,   but   the   eastern   car   beat   the   western   to   the   market,   and certainly   featured   the   three-cylinder   motor   from   the   1938   F9   prototype   (rather   than   the   two- cylinder   motor   that   had   been   in   serial   production   in   1942)   at   least   three   years   before Auto   Union in Düsseldorf were installing it in their F91.

The bodies

Surviving   F9s   appear   largely   restricted   to   saloon   versions,   but   various   sports   and   cabriolet versions   were   also   produced.   Steel   for   consumer   industries   was   in   short   supply   across   many   parts of   Europe   during   this   period,   and   the   F9’s   body   construction   increasingly   involved   plastic   panels, especially   after   production   was   moved   to   Eisenach   in   1953.   The   car   was   accordingly   usefully lighter than its western built Auto Union equivalent.

Technical

The   F9   featured   a   three-cylinder   two-stroke   water-cooled   engine   of   910   cc   with   a   claimed output,   at   launch,   of   28   bhp   (21   kW).   The   engine   was   water-cooled,   the   radiator   being   located behind   the   engine,   an   unusual   configuration   but   one   also   found   on   the   DKW   F91.   The   front wheels were driven via a four-speed manual gear box with a free wheel.

1956

Engine 900 cc 3 cylinders Power 20 HP Top speed 120 km/h The collection hosts two F9 models. One from 1953 and one 1956.