The Wartburg 1.3 is a
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
which was produced by
Automobilwerk Eisenach
The Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE) was an automobile manufacturer in Eisenach, Germany.
History
Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach
Heinrich Ehrhardt founded the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (FFE) in Eisenach on 3 December 1896 as a stock company. Init ...
between October 1988 and April 1991.
The car was an updated version of the
Wartburg 353
The Wartburg 353, known in some export markets as the Wartburg Knight, is a medium-sized family car, produced by the East German car manufacturer AWE for their Wartburg brand. It was the successor of the Wartburg 311, and was itself succeeded ...
, with a 1.3-litre,
four-stroke
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
, four-cylinder engine as also used in the second generation
Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car ( B-segment) produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, and estate variants throughout its production run.
Histor ...
, instead of the original 1-litre,
two-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
, three-cylinder unit found in the 353.
History
In 1984 a deal was reached in which
IFA
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
would assemble Volkswagen's 1.3-liter
EA111 engine under license, in the
Barkas plant in
Karl-Marx-Stadt
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 28th largest city of Germany as ...
(Chemnitz).
[ Stünkel, p. 39] The engine was too long to be mounted longitudinally in the Wartburg 353, and too long to fit between the front wheels in a transverse installation.
[ One prototype with the longitudinal engine was built, nicknamed ''Nasenbär'' (]Coati
Coatis, also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera ''Nasua'' and ''Nasuella''. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The name ...
) because of its long nose. Wartburg chose the transverse option, and thus the Wartburg 1.3 only entered production in October 1988 as a new transmission also had to be developed, as well as an entirely new front end (everything ahead of the A-pillar
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
was new). The track was widened by in front and by in the rear, necessitating small fender extensions.[ The new drivetrain also meant that the gearshifter migrated to the floor, instead of on the column where it was usually found on Wartburgs. The considerable changes meant that the development costs far outreached the projected expense of manufacturing the four-stroke 1600 cc engine developed by Wartburg's own engineers in the early seventies.]
The appearance was also altered by the installation of a new front clip, with large wraparound turn signals and a smoothed-off appearance. Being rather expensive (nearly twice the price of the 353 W), the 1.3 sold slowly from the outset.[ The two-stroke 353 W continued to be built until 1989, when imported cars became available.][ Being a four-stroke was not enough of a novelty to convince buyers, especially in Western export markets. After the ]German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in October 1990, the Wartburg 1.3 was no longer competitive, and production slowed down until it was discontinued on 10 April 1991. A pickup version (not available within the Eastern Bloc) called the Wartburg 1.3 Trans was also available, although only about 920 were built. A total of 152,757 Wartburg 1.3 were built, about half of them intended for export.[
The engine originally developed , after July 1990 this was increased to .][
]Karmann
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück.
Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialized in a variety of automotive roles, includi ...
showed a more luxurious prototype based on the Tourist, called simply the "Tourist L". It had a glass sunroof, roof rails, tinted windows, and an upgraded interior. Irmscher
Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider.
It was founded i ...
developed a modernized, sportier-looking version with 14-inch alloy wheels
In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much softe ...
called the 1.3 New Line. Wartburg could see the writing on the wall, however, and only two New Lines were built. A Wartburg 1.4 was also developed in 1990, with a Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
engine. This was in an attempt to lower costs (which were rising rapidly after the reunification) by thirty per cent, and the Barkas-built drivetrain was the most expensive part. One operational prototype was built, but it was decided to liquidate Automobilwerk Eisenach
The Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE) was an automobile manufacturer in Eisenach, Germany.
History
Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach
Heinrich Ehrhardt founded the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (FFE) in Eisenach on 3 December 1896 as a stock company. Init ...
rather than continuing production.
The original AWE Wartburg plant closed in 1991 was replaced by the new Opel Eisenach
Opel Eisenach GmbH (formerly Opel AWE Planungs GmbH) is a German manufacturing company based at Eisenach in Thuringia, Germany and a subsidiary of Opel. It currently produces the Opel Grandland X.
History
In March 1990 Adam Opel AG and Automo ...
joint venture one building the Opel Vectra
The Opel Vectra is a mid-size car (large family car) that was engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel from 1988 until 2010. Available in saloon, hatchback and estate body styles, the Vectra was also sold by the Vauxhall marque i ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
UK-based official Wartburg, Trabant and IFA owners' club
1.3
Cars of Germany
1980s cars
1990s cars
Sedans
Cars introduced in 1988
Station wagons