(first posted 12/20/2015) I’ve had a thing about the DKW Schnellaster since 1959, when I got to buy myself a würstel from one. I couldn’t see over the sill of the window, but I reached up my 10 or 15 groschen, and a steaming frankfurter with a fresh roll and mustard (yuk) was reached down to me. I knew this was no typical VW Transporter, from the looks of it as well as the DKW badge on its hood. And I already knew what that badge meant: the little plume of oily smoke it emitted when running was from its two-stroke engine, not the kitchen in back.
I wrote the story of the Schnellaster some years back. Since I assumed I’d never actually find one in Eugene, I used shots from the web. But I finally did find one recently, sitting in the back lot of the Sports Car Shop. Owner Bob Marcherione had just bought it up north and towed it to Eugene. It had obviously been used as a concession stand for little league baseball games; selling hot dogs, quite likely. And Bob assumes it will get sold to someone who will put it to use as…a food cart. Grass-fed organic würstel, perhaps?
So rather than repeat the Schnellaster’s history, we’ll just reprise a few snippets of it and mainly focus on this wonderful find and the secrets it is hiding in its multi-layered petroglyphs. The Schnellaster was made from 1949 to 1962, and variants built in Spain, Finland, and Argentina, there until 1979. And I see that my original Schnellaster article is now the first reference in Wikipedia.
As a seven-year old, I was pretty well schooled in what this badge meant. Auto Union was formed in the 1930s, as a combination of DKW, Wanderer, Audi and Horch. It was an attempt to achieve some economies of scale, a la GM. That mostly didn’t happen, as the four brands were all so different and had their own factories in different parts of Germany. That was of course the challenge that Alfred Sloan took on in GM too, when it was just a conglomeration of different car companies bought by Durant. And it took him a while. The war intervened before Auto Union could really make a genuine union, and afterwards, only DKW (barely) survived, due to all of the four having been located mostly in what was now the Russian zone (later DDR).
By the late 50s, top-trim DKWs were branded ‘Auto Union 1000’, which was a bit odd, since they could have readily used on of the previous up-scale brands. And in the mid sixties, the final two-stroke DKW morphed into the first four-stroke neo-Audi, so there’s some DKW FWD genes in every Audi still today. All of this is covered in more detail in my DKW F-94 CC.
I also knew what the 3=6 badge meant, as my father had explained the two-stroke cycle (just) well enough to me to somewhat comprehend that a DKW needed only three cylinders to have as many power strokes as a six cylinder four stroke engine. The details were a bit fuzzy, but I thought I understood it.
Well, the badge on this one would more accurately say 0≠6, as the engine and transmission have long since departed. Not coincidentally, the engine in the F94 I found also was missing its engine, although there was a block in the trunk. Let’s just say that these DKW two-strokes did not have a rep of being long-lived, but because they were so simple, rebuilding them was a fairly economical undertaking back then. And given how small the little three-pot was, stowing a spare in the trunk or back of the van might not have been a bad idea.
The transverse leaf spring that also functions as the main control arms of the front suspension is clearly visible here. The 32 hp 900cc engine sat just in front of that. Why I failed to get an underhood shot is a good question, but it would have been empty anyway.
I’d like to think there was a cushion for the driver once upon a time. The column shift for the transmission is still there; it once rowed the three or four (after 1953) forward gears.
Here’s the view from further back. Whatever there was back here in this rolling concession stand is long gone.
Undoubtedly, both Pepsi and 7up were once on the menu. This truck has at least two layers of signs on it, as we shall see further.
I’ll let you archaeological historians decipher the layers.
A close-up.
Here’s the other side.
And from the other angle.
I asked Bob what was its likely future. he didn’t think anyone would likely buy it to restore it, but much more likely that someone would turn it into a food cart, as exotic ones are a hot thing in hipster towns (like nearby Portland). If it needs to move under its own power, it probably wouldn’t be all that hard to adapt a more modern drive train.
So this DKW has more food service in its future. Schnell food from a Schnelllaster; what else is it going to do in the USA?
Wieso keine Zwiebeln mit deiner langen Rote? 🙂 Now you’ve made me hungry for the Freiburger Weihnachtsmarkt auf dem Muensterplatz.
Nice DKW, seems like it’s be a ton of work but worth it in the end for someone with a limited menu and maybe two people max working…I’m starting to really believe that there is at least one of everything in Eugene if one looks hard enough.
Wiener [named after Austrian capital] + mustard + roll + beer = German fast-food. I had my 1st sample of that in München.
A ciabatta roll makes a great hot dog bun.
Frankfurters and Hamburgers. Typical German Schnell-Futter.
Surprised to see Freiburg being mentioned here. My family lived there for a few years in the early 1970s when my brother and I attended a deaf school in neighbouring Stegen.
Lot of great childhood memories there, especially with Oma who occasionally treated me and my brother with Freiburger Münsterplatzwürste while shopping for grocery at Münsterplatz.
I was born in Freiburg and we lived in Staufen until I was twelve before moving to Los Angeles (can you say Kulturschock!). Our paths may have crossed…We regularly took “Das Baehnle” from Staufen into Freiburg to go to Kaufhof etc. Always had a Wurst, preferably mit einer Spezi. And then always spent a little money making the model train set go around at the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof until our actual train came.
We shopped in the Kaufhof once in a while too and I too recall the model Eisenbahn. However we lived, and my mom still lives, in Achern some distance north of Freiburg. In fact my mom just celebrated her 90th birthday and I am typing this in her home. Es ist schon schön hier, gell?
I will have a “Wienerle” in your and Paul´s honor, even if it is not from a Schnellaster.
Meine mit Zwiebeln bitte! 🙂 Und ein Weissbier…Oder Gluehwein.
Indeed, Jim, it is possible to have crossed our paths…
We always visited Hertie because of its enormous restaurant in the top floor for coffee and pastries as well as occasional lunch with family friends and relatives. Not to mention its excellent toy and hobby department!
Of course, Spezi remains my favourite soda pop. For some readers unfamiliar with this concoction: it’s half Coca-Cola and half Fanta Orange.
Ach Du meine Güte! The Freiburger Münsterplatz. I was there last summer!
DKW Schnellaster food stand: hier geht´s um Die Kleine Wurst!
The Citroen HY van (1947-81) is the coffee car de jour here in London now – not sure it makes the coffee any better tho’.
Paul, Here’s a link to photos of what is probably the best DKW Schnellaster in North America, owned by a friend of mine who sold it at Gooding almost two years ago in Scottsdale.
http://automotivetraveler.fotki.com/1956-dkw-schnellast/?view=roll
The photos at the link above show the upside potential of the DKW you pictured. But it also shows the amount of work that will be involved to bring your friend’s Schnellaster back to life. The parts are almost incomprehensibly difficult to find as most are now made out of unobtainium. Just look at all the deatils.
This is the precursor of the modern FWD Chrysler minivans, introduced three decades later.
That is so cool to see this like new restoration contrasted to Paul’s recent find.
Splendid! More perfect than the day it was delivered.
I wonder if the thing to do at this point is forget about an engine and turn it into a cute little concession *trailer*?
That’s my guess. There are a ton of food carts all around Eugene now, and not all of them move on their own.
I’m not familiar with these, and never saw one. From the DKW Schnellaster’s main article:
…”Front wheel drive? Transverse engine? Front wheels set forward of the passenger cabin? A one-box design with a short and sloping aerodynamic hood? A flat floor throughout, and flexible seating and transport accommodations?”…
Right on ! This DKW family was the one and only forebear of all modern / current compact and midsize vans. Just a random example below.
I remember having seen them in my childhood.
Didn’t you see the Opel (above) when you were in Freiburg last summer ?
The oldest vans and light trucks I can vividly remember are the Volkswagens T1 and T2, the Ford Transit Mk1, the Citroën HY and of course the very popular Hanomags (later renamed and sold as Mercedes-Benz).
I’m just too young for the DKWs, I guess.
I’veseen one or two in the US, but not for a LONG time. In fact maybe not since the Chrysler minivan came out, so I never thought about the fact that the DKW was first.
Yet another great CC find which I’d put into the category of a ‘Jay Leno Special’ (JLS?) since he’s about the only one with the interest, wherewithal, and resources to give it a proper restoration, i.e., lots of pricey 3-D printing to get the necessary original parts.
OTOH, as pointed out, I can certainly see it brought back as one of those ’boutique’ food delivery/concession vans which you only see in chichi, urban, hipster areas. It’s fascinating how hipsters can’t quite grasp the cost effectiveness of going for the majority of trendy business models. Seems like Ben & Jerry’s was the inspiration for that.
Either way, it will be an expensive proposition for which a proper restoration (of any sort) would render very little in value.
The DKW posted by Rich Truesdell above sold at auction for $101,750 in 2013: http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1956-dkw-schnellaster-kastenwagen-36/
I wonder what he had in it. Still, that sale is nothing to sneeze at.
The Schnellaster bus I showed on Paul’s original post was auctioned earlier this year for a tick under $AUD40,000, after 50-odd years of ownership.
Now I know what influenced the Japanese van face…
Incredible find! I’m guessing this Schnellaster was originally a promotional device given away by a fledgling DKW dealership, “Presented to:” the “MADISON BABE RUTH LEAGUE” (or perhaps the SOUTH SOMETHING-SOMETHING LITTLE LEAGUE underneath) or the “TOWN & COUNTRY ATHLETIC CLUB.”
The “Say Pepsi, Please!” slogan dates to 1957 and the 7-Up logo is ’50s vintage as well. Wonder how long it was actually in service for? Hopefully somebody takes on the brave task of putting it back together – even with modern guts as a food truck. I think that’d still be a victory for Das Klein Wunder after such a long slumber.
Das Kraut Wagen. Very cool find and thanks for the post. Does Audi stand for Another Ugly DKW Inside?
I could imagine little kids having nightmares about this ugly hot dog truck chasing them.
I wonder if you could shoe horn a Chevy sprint 3 cylinder in the front? Would keep the costs down and make it drive able…
Unusual car-truck night? Would make a nice schnitzel wagon.
Good lord, Mr. Niedermeyer! Where DO you find these things?
Such an interesting find Paul. I love the archaeological aspect of finds like this. I just got back from a business trip to Germany and Switzerland and could easily imagine one of these, at the many Christmas markets, selling Gluh Wein… Yummy!
Given the common origin, would a Saab 96 2 stroke drivetrain fit in there?
As for food, how about curry wurst?
Definitely needs to be a food truck specialzing in Germanic fare. I’d be a little conflicted though–I love the layers of ghost signage! It’d be a bit of a shame to paint over, but it’s be difficult to get your branding across with them still there…
Maybe they can at least leave the vintage 7up signs, and sell that as one of their drink offerings?
Wow ~ what a rare truck .
It’d be so nice if someone took the time and effort to fully restore what’s there , sans driveline and continue it’s life as a food truck .
Rust never sleeps and this one looks very solid .
-Nate
They hadn’t really started to depreciate by 2015, but looking at it 6 years later it seems like an ideal candidate for an EV conversion using a firstgen Nissan Leaf drivetrain.
Carrying a spare engine isnt such a bad idea if you drive something with known short engine life and limited supply,
I gave a couple of backpacker girls a hand to swap engines in their VW van the spare was under the bed in the back minus tinware and oil cooler once swapped the now spare was getting rings and a valve grind and kept for the next swap
Please excuse my extreme ignorance, I was only 2 years old when my parents moved back to England and I never learnt to speak German.
It’s common for English speakers to mock the name Schnellaster, which was never schell, especially in it’s 2 cylinder incarnation. I thought that it was a reference to it being quick and easy to load, not quick to move along the road. Am I right?
And in any case the VW Transporter, which came after Das Kliene Wunder wasn’t quick to load or drive.
I hadn’t ever thought of that interpretation, and I’m pretty sure it’s not accurate. If you wanted to say “fast loader/loading”, you’d say “schnelllader,” as “laden” (used as a verb) is “to load/loading”.
I always assumed that “Schnelllaster” did mean “quick truck”, in the sense that these relatively affordable little vans/trucks often were bought to upgrade from something more modest, like a three-wheeler or even a horse cart. It was certainly faster than a tuk-tuk, pedal-cart, or horse. 🙂
I also assume there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek in its name.
Thanks Paul. Good to know.