Melkus RS 1000 is a sports car produced by Melkus. It is powered by a tuned, mid-mounted

3-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

2-stroke 992 cm³ engine, similar to the one in the Wartburg 353, and features

gull-wing doors In the automotive industry, a gull-wing door, also known as a falcon-wing door or an up-door, is a car door that is hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, first as a race car in 1952 ( W194), and then a ...

. 101 cars were made between 1969 and 1979 in the Dresden factory.

Technical description

The RS 1000 has a traditional

ladder frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...

and features a body-on-frame design. Being a racecar, it has a roll bar integrated into the windscreen frame and an addition roll bar installed behind the driver's seat. The RS 1000 has independent front and rear suspension, coil springs, stabilisers and drum brakes. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual; the clutch is the same as in the

Barkas B 1000 The Barkas B 1000 is a forward control panel van made by the East German manufacturer VEB Barkas-Werke in Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and ...

. A specially-tuned version of the water-cooled, two-stroke 992 cm³ AWE353/1 Wartburg engine is used. Unlike the standard, single-carb Wartburg engine, it has three

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

s, as well as a higher compression ratio. This engine produces at 4500 min⁻¹ and gives a maximum torque of 118 N·m (87 lb ft.) at 3500 min⁻¹. Fibreglass was used as the body material. The top speed is 165 km/h.

After the ''Wende''

The RS 1000 did not have an immediate successor. However, in time for the 50 year jubilee a limited series of 15 RS 1000 have been made. The first sports car of this series was presented on November 26, 2006. In 2009, the production of the indirect successor, the ''Melkus RS 2000'' began. The production was halted in 2012 when Melkus registered as insolvent.Legende stellt Insolvenzantrag
/ref> A Melkus RS 1000 is featured in the music video for ATC's 2000 hit, " Around the World (La La La La La)".

References

External links

Melkus homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melkus Rs 1000 Sports cars Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Automobiles with gull-wing doors 1960s cars 1970s cars Goods manufactured in East Germany