DKW & The Royal Automobile Club, 9 July 2025

Owned by Kevin Newman and Richard Briggs-Price

Widely regarded as the finest example of its kind anywhere in the world today, this 1963 Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster is a fitting representative among the four DKW Car Club entries on display. It was the only one of the group to qualify for the main RAC Concours event, proudly featured in the Riviera category.

The car was discovered and purchased in the Netherlands before being shipped to the UK, where it underwent a meticulous two-year restoration to near-original condition by specialist Paul Collins. Remarkably original and with low mileage, it has yet to be exhibited at any major show and is believed to be the only Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster Convertible currently in the UK.

This elegant vehicle features hand-built coachwork by renowned coachbuilder Baur. Between 1958 and 1965, a total of 5,068 coupés and just 1,640 convertibles were produced.

Power comes from a 1,000cc, three-cylinder, two-stroke engine delivering 55 hp, paired with a freewheel device and a four-speed column gear change.

Owned by Justus van der Spuy

Manufactured: November 7,1958 at the Duesseldorf plant

Background: First registered in South Africa in January 1959, under registration number TJ (“Transvaal, Johannesburg”) 166495, then YVM731GP (“Gauteng Province”), imported into the UK in July 2019 and registered as 766XVH

Type code: 6813-51 luxury coupe, Body number 231339 Color: Pearl grey with white roof

Bodywork: Karmann

Engine: 896 cc 3 cylinder 2-Stroke 40hp/30kw at 4250 rpm, Single Solex Carburettor, Compression Ratio: 7.5 : 1

Kerb Weight: 870kg/1’920 lb

For the F93 Model, produced in 12 months between September 1957 and August 1958, the following production numbers were recorded:

Two door Sedan + Coupé 42,486

Four door Sedan 10,320

Station Wagon 14,342

Total 67,148

Owneed by the DKW Club Chairman and owner of (a dozen – or so) – DKW cars, Fredrik Folkestad.

Background: Sold new in northern Sweden where Fredrik bought it and drove it back 1,200 miles to his home in the Cotswolds.

Engine: This car features the next-generation, more powerful 981cc 3-cylinder, two-stroke engine producing 50 bhp. A top speed of 85mph and an engine happy to be driven at full throttle “all day long” make it a real highway cruiser of the 60’s. Average fuel consumption is 33.5mpg. The previous owner had it for 20+years.

Owner: Club Member Justus van der Spuy

Coachwork: Hand-built by Karosserie Baur, body number 23 473.

Original Colour: Eggshell White

Styling Cues: Ford Thunderbird

Manufactured: Auto Union Ingolstadt plant on 26th May 1961. First registered in the UK on 6th January 1962 after being shipped to Auto Union Ltd in Brentford Middlesex on 7th June 1961 for conversion to right hand drive. Of the 5,068 Sp coupe models built from 1958 to 1965, only five were converted to right hand drive * and MSL398 is one of four known to survive. 1,640 roadster versions were built (all left hand drive).

Engine: 981 cc 3 cylinder 2-Stroke 54hp/40kw, max speed 85 mph.

Front Wheel Drive through 4 speed manual column shift.

Carburettor: Zenith Solex 32 NDIX

Compression Ratio: 8.0 : 1

Kerb Weight: 950 kg / 2’094 lb.

* Considering the Autocar 22 January 1960 review and price listing, it is not surprising that after import tax, the 1000 Sp sold very few units in the UK –

Porsche 1600: £1,641 (Oct 1963)

Lancia Flavia: £1,692 (“ “)

Jaguar S-Type: £1,759 (“ “)

Mercedes Benz 190 C: £1,829 (“ “)

Rover 3 litre Coupe: £1,857 (“ “)

Auto Union 1000Sp: £1,995 15s 10d (Autocar, 1960)