Audi F103

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Audi F103
Manufacturer	Auto-Union
Parent company	Volkswagen Group since December 1964
Also called	Audi
Production	Sept., 1965 - July, 1972 416,853 built[1] of which: Saloon: 386,361 Variant (estate): 27,492
Assembly	West Germany
Predecessor	DKW F102
Successor	Audi 80
Class	Compact executive car
Body style(s)	2 or 4 door saloon 3-door estate
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive
Engine(s)	1.5–1.8 L inline-4
Transmission(s)	4-speed manual
Wheelbase	2490 mm (98 in)
Length	4380 mm (172.4 in)
Width	1626 mm (64 in)
Curb weight	960 kg (2116 lb)−1065 kg (2348 lb)

F103 is the internal designation for a series of car models produced by Auto Union in West Germany from 1965 to 1972, derived from the earlier DKW F102. To signify the change from a two-stroke to four-stroke engine, the DKW marque was dropped in favour of Audi, a name which had lain dormant since before the Second World War.

[edit] Models

The first model was launched simply as the Audi, later being renamed the Audi 72 (72 being the nominal power output of the engine in Pferdestärke).

The more powerful Audi 80 and Audi Super 90 sports saloons appeared in 1966: in 1968 the arrival of the less powerful Audi 60 completed the range.

The Audi 75 replaced both the Audi 72 and the Audi 80 from 1969 onwards.

In 1972 the F103 series was discontinued in favour of the "B1" Audi 80.

[edit] Engines

The F103 series were equipped exclusively with four-cylinder four stroke engines. These were transversely mounted. It was the space efficient combination of front-wheel drive, which Auto Union's DKW brand had pioneered during the 1930s, and the transverse positioning of a four cylinder engine which would provide the basic template for Volkswagen's successful new Passat and Golf models after Volkswagen acquired the business from Daimler-Benz late in 1964.

The engines of the F103 series were a joint development with Daimler-Benz who owned Auto-Union at the time (from 1958 to 1964). They were dubbed the Mitteldruckmotor (medium pressure engines), because of their unusually high compression ratio, mid-way between conventional petrol and diesel engines.

[edit] Running gear

The car came with a four speed manual transmission.

Inboard mounted front disc brakes were featured, which was still unusual in the mid-size car market at this time. The rear brakes followed the more conventional drum configuration.

[edit] Bodywork

The form of the Audi F103's body closely followed that of the earlier DKW F102, shown here, though the Audi's engine represented a dramatic break with the two-stroke DKW tradition.

The F103 bodyshell was a development of the earlier DKW F102. The engine compartment had to be extended so that the new four-cylinder engine could be accommodated. The front and tail were also cosmetically revised: Audi F103s sold in Europe all featured quasi-rectangular headlamps which were becoming fashionable at the time, whereas the F102 had used round headlamp units.

All Audi F103 models were offered as saloons with two and four doors. However, the two door saloon was not sold in markets with little demand for two door cars of this size, such as Italy and Britain.

With the exception of the Audi Super 90, the F103 series were available also as three-door estate models. These were called, like the Volkswagen estate models, Variant.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 2008-03-04.
• This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Italian Wikipedia article as of 2008-03-04.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Audi F103

• Good overview of the development of the DKW F103 to the Audi 60 (in German)
• A Super 90 at a vintage rally