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Wanderer was a German manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, vans and other machinery. Established as Winklhofer & Jaenicke in 1896, the company used Wanderer brand name since 1911, making civilian automobiles until 1941 and military until 1945.
[edit] History
Wanderer W 23 Cabriolet 1938
Wanderer W 24 Limousine 1939
Wanderer W25K (1936-1938)
Winklhofer & Jaenicke, the business that became eventually known for its Wanderer cars, was established in 1896 in Chemnitz. They built motorcycles since 1902, automobiles since 1903. The Wanderer brand was chosen in 1911 for overseas exports and was soon adopted for domestic sales.
The first two or three seater models used four cylinder 1145 cc and 1220 cc engines. The 1220 cc model lasted until 1925. The first six cylinder model appeared in 1928. By 1926, when Wanderer introduced a successful Typ 10, the company was making 25 vehicles a day; parts were made at the old plant in Chemnitz and assembled at the new site in Siegmar, delivered by rail right to the assembly line. Motorcycle production continued in Chemnitz alone.
During the Great Depression, in 1929, the company owner, Dresdner Bank, sold the motorcycle business, and in 1932 divested the rest of Wanderer. The company formed part of Auto Union with Horch, Audi and DKW. In this quartet, Horch was postioned as the luxury brand, DKW built cheap two-stroke cars, Audi and Wanderer competed in different segments of mid-priced, technologically advanced small cars (heaviest, 6-cylinder Wanderers reached 1.5 tons dry weight). Wanderers of Nazi period acquired a trademark radiator design, shaped as a heraldic shield.
The next Wanderer model (1692 cc four cylinder) was similar to a parallel DKW model. In 1933, an Audi model was equipped with a Wanderer-built 1963 cc six cylinder ohv engine. The top model from 1936 to 1939 was W50, propelled by a 2257 cc six cylinder engine. There were also sporting fours (W24 and W25) and another six cylinder model of 2632 cc (W23). Wanderer cars were always admired for their high quality and sporting character.[citation needed] In 1941 all civilian production was replaced with military vehicles. A subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp, KZ Siegmar-Schonau, was operated during the war to provide slave labour for the Wanderer vehicle plants.[1]
The Siegmar and Schönau plants in Saxony were destroyed during World War II, closing this chapter in the history of automobiles. Post-war efforts to restore East German auto industry concentrated on Auto-Union facilities in Zwickau and Schoppau, Wanderer plants never recovered. Wanderer managers migrated to West Germany, being instrumental in the recovery of DKW.
[edit] Automobile models
| Type |
Years |
Engine type |
Displacement |
Engine power |
Top speed |
| W1 (5/12 PS) "Puppchen" |
1912 - 1913 |
straight-4 |
1147 cc |
12 PS (8,8 kW) |
70 km/h (43 mph) |
| W2 (5/15 PS) "Puppchen" |
1913 - 1914 |
straight-4 |
1222 cc |
15 PS (11 kW) |
70 km/h (43 mph) |
| W3 (5/15 PS) "Puppchen" |
1914 - 1919 |
straight-4 |
1286 cc |
15 PS (11 kW) |
70 km/h (43 mph) |
| W4 (5/15 PS) "Puppchen" |
1919 - 1924 |
straight-4 |
1306 cc |
17 PS (12,5 kW) |
78 km/h (48 mph) |
| W6 (6/18 PS) |
1921 - 1923 |
straight-4 |
1551 cc |
18 PS (13,2 kW) |
80 km/h (50 mph) |
| W9 (6/24 PS) |
1923 - 1925 |
straight-4 |
1551 cc |
24 PS (17,6 kW) |
85 km/h (53 mph) |
| W8 (5/20 PS) “Puppchen” |
1925 - 1926 |
straight-4 |
1306 cc |
20 PS (14,7 kW) |
78 km/h (48 mph) |
| W10/I (6/30 PS) |
1926 - 1928 |
straight-4 |
1551 cc |
30 PS (22 kW) |
85 km/h (53 mph) |
| W10/II (8/40 PS) |
1927 - 1929 |
straight-4 |
1940 cc |
40 PS (29 kW) |
95 km/h (59 mph) |
| W11 (10/50 PS) |
1928 - 1930 |
straight-6 |
2540 cc |
50 PS (37 kW) |
90 km/h (56 mph) |
| W10/IV (6/30 PS) |
1930 - 1932 |
straight-4 |
1563 cc |
30 PS (22 kW) |
85 km/h (53 mph) |
| W11 (10/50 PS) |
1930 - 1933 |
straight-6 |
2540 cc |
50 PS (37 kW) |
97 km/h (60 mph) |
| W14 (12/65 PS) |
1931 - 1932 |
straight-6 |
2970-2995 cc |
65 PS (48 kW) |
105 km/h (65 mph) |
| W15 (6/30 PS) |
1932 |
straight-4 |
1563 cc |
30 PS (22 kW) |
85 km/h (53 mph) |
| W17 (7/35 PS) |
1932 - 1933 |
straight-6 |
1690 cc |
35 PS (25,7 kW) |
90 km/h (56 mph) |
| W20 (8/40 PS) |
1932 - 1933 |
straight-6 |
1950 cc |
40 PS (29 kW) |
95 km/h (59 mph) |
| W21 / W235 / W35 |
1933 - 1936 |
straight-6 |
1690 cc |
35 PS (25,7 kW) |
95 km/h (59 mph) |
| W22 / W240 / W40 |
1933 - 1938 |
straight-6 |
1950 cc |
40 PS (29 kW) |
100 km/h (62 mph) |
| W245 / W250 |
1935 |
straight-6 |
2257 cc |
50 PS (37 kW) |
100 km/h (62 mph) - 105 km/h (65 mph) |
| W45 / W50 / Spezial W51 |
1936 - 1938 |
straight-6 |
2257 cc |
55 PS (40 kW) |
100 km/h (62 mph) - 105 km/h (65 mph) |
| W25K |
1936 - 1938 |
straight-6 |
1950 cc |
85 PS (62,5 kW) |
145 km/h (90 mph) |
| W52 |
1937 |
straight-6 |
2651 cc |
62 PS (45,6 kW) |
115 km/h (71 mph) |
| W24 |
1937 - 1940 |
straight-4 |
1767 cc |
42 PS (30,9 kW) |
105 km/h (65 mph) |
| W26 |
1937 - 1940 |
straight-6 |
2651 cc |
62 PS (45,6 kW) |
115 km/h (71 mph) |
| W23 |
1937 - 1941 |
straight-6 |
2651 cc |
62 PS (45,6 kW) |
105 km/h (65 mph) |
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Christine O'Keefe. Concentration Camps.
[edit] See also
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