Porsche was one constructor who had made several different car models for famous car factories like Steyr, Tatra, NSU, Zündapp and the beginning of  Volkswagen.

Mercedes Benz also used this name for a racing car with a small change to Tropfen wagen.

The car was equipped with different types of 4 cyl 1300cc, 1500cc and 1700cc engines.

A future great industrialist was born 1878 in the Danish town of Naskov. He was baptized to Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen. His father was a boat captain, Hans Peder Rasmussen and mother Maren Johanna Skafte. His father died during Jörgen's early years. His mother died when he was 19 years old and he moved to his half-sister in Byköping where he got work at a local village black smith.

Jörgen Skafte moved 1898 to Germany in order to study. He started at High School in Mittweida, but he had to leave school after 2 years, as he evidently had behaved unsuitable. He then started at the university of Zwickau where he completed his studies and examined 1902.

1904 his first company was established. Rasmussen & Ernst in Chemnitz. Here he produced different utility stuffs. After 2 years he moved to Zschopau. Here he had bought an old mill in which earlier textiles were made. This city is situated in a wool district that's why it became a textile mill.

After WWI Jörgen came i contact with Hugo Ruppe. He was very good engineer wich already in the 1920 th experimented with two stroke engines. His inventions were always before in time and as he was a bad business man he always failed with what he did.
Except with Rasmussen's engine....

After WWI Hugo started to work with Jörgen Rasmusen in Zschopau. He developed a small engine to be used as a help engine for bikes. It was called "Das Kleine Wunder", but told in ads as "Des Knaben Wunsch".

Piccolo på museet i Ziegenhagen Tyskland. Ref. 1

His main inventions should although generate several companies which made good business with help engines over whole of Europe. For ex. ILO, NV, Huskvarna, Zündapp, Puch and others. Not to forget DKW.

With this engine Rasmussen did success and sold in the beginning of 1920 more than 30000 engines. These were produced in his earlier bought "Textile mill" in Zschopau. 1928 he was the largest deliverer of motorcycles in the world.

Jörgen Skafte now earned lots of money. He invested in development of a car. The first trials with this failed when the engine which was mounted on the right side and put power for wheels through a chain didn't have enough with power. During this trial period he had contact with a small electrical cycle car producer, Slaby & Behringer. This car was bought by Rasmussen and equipped with his 2

Slaby Behringer with test car and 2-stroke engines. Ref. 55

The half timbered house in Zschopau was not big enough for the production of this car. With his money Rasumssen could now buy the share majority in Audi works. Audi had economy problems. At the same time he had bought a license from the famous WWI fighter ess Eddie Rickenbacker in USA. It was about a 6 cylinder engine, which was aimed to be used in Audi cars. Anyway it was only

Wanderer equipped with 6 cyl engine constructed by Ferd. Porsche. Ref. 1

1929 Rasmussens car drove Monte Carlo rally with a 600 cc engine. Following year Rassmussen's car set 12 international record for sport cars.

1930 the design was changed and the car got front wheel drive and at the same time was DKW the most sold car in Germany.

Hugo Ruppe had during his time in Berlin made research in 2 stroke engines which were equipped with compressor cylinders. With this development V4 engines were made with 2 cylinders pressing air like a compressor inside the crank house and 2 were working cylinders. This system lost much power The power raise was not acceptable. This type of engine was mounted in DKW Schwebeklasse. It had also rear wheel drive.

In the same time "Der Kleine Wunder" was developed with the help of engineer Adolf Schnuerle's principle that cylinder ports had to be put on the same side. The petroleum gas went through the crank house with the help of crankshaft rotation. In this way there became better filling of the petroleum air mixture. Furthermore there was no need to provide the piston top with a steering.

Sorry to say that the depression hit hard summer 1932 against Rasmussen's investments and Saxony Regional/Stat Bank, which financed all Rasmussen's development projects, hit their brakes. An economical improvement must come.

The reorganization demanded that Rasmussen had to be removed and due to different opinions he resigned from the board. 1934.

1938 Rasmussen got through a decision  from Nazi government Franz Gürtner a compensation of 1.3 million Reichmarks. This is in today value 5.3 million Euro. This money became worthless when war ended. It is to be supposed that West Germany later replaced him.

Jörgen Skafte moved to Potsdam near Berlin where he bought a property. In this place he lived up to 1945, when he escaped to Flensburg and then 1948 moved to Hareskovby in Denmark. In this place he started a production of a motorcycle with Villiers engine and badge it to DISA. This name is read Danish Industry Syndikat A/S.

But the war was close and all civilian production ceased 1942. At that time Audi Union had produced 250000 DKW cars.

After the war the Russian occupation power removed the Zschopau and Zwickau  factories in order to move them to Russia. Arresting of civilians after the war and many were brought to trial and sentenced to death for war crimes.

The conductive layer succeeded to escape to West Germany where Volkswagen used them to open the new DKW factory in the city of Ingolstadt Bayern. This became the new Auto Union (note t in Auto) factory. The factory in Zwickau became production center for Trabant and Zschopau became the place for MZ motorcycles.

Trabant death was the fall of the wall 1989-1991. MZ ceased 2008 and the old Rasmussen textile mill became a night club and got the name MZ-Werk.

This connection became Winkelhofer & Jaenicke 1896. The market needed two wheels vehicles in the form of cycles and such with help engines.

1911 they changed the name to Wanderer and started to be interested in car industry. These types of cars were produced up to 1941 and thereafter military vehicles produced in Chemnitz.

There were 3 models W23, W24 and W25(K). The 6 cylinder engine hade Porsche constructed. It got the internal Porsche name Type 7.

Depression hit the market 1929 and the largest Wanderer owner Dresdener Bank sold the motorcycle part to the constructor  Frantisek Janecek and JAWA. The car division was merged with Horch, Audi and DKW. The trademrk with the four rings was created.

At this time the car had a 6 cylinders engine. It gave 85 hk with compressor and could be driven max 145 km/h. It was also sold as a cabriolet.

Together 259 were sold of both models. The 6 cylinder engine had Porsche earlier constructed for Wanderer. Willy Walb who had lost his job when testing Auto Union Silver Arrows, had to go back to Wanderer as he was an expert on compressor equipments.

He was the man who installed this compressor engine with 85 hk. It had standard 42 hk. But even 85 hk was to little for this rather heavy car.

The meaning was to be a concurrent to BMW 328. Instead it became one to BMW 327. Now 2009 there are 70 years since these 259 copies were sold and for this reason they are very rare. The closed standard Wanderer model was sold in 22000 copies.

Due to the large lack of material. East Germany used old material as much as possible. The car got the name Trabant which was the same as Sputnik or in Swedish "vän" (friend, partner).

It was equipped with a two stroke engine constructed before the war and it was mounted in all DKW at that time. This engine gave only 18 hk in the first production series with 500 cc 2 cylinders. It was then raised to 600 cc giving as most 26 hk in the second series. With a consumption of 0,7 l/10 km it became son outdated when no update did not came until 1990.

The last two years 1990-91, when merging of the two German states became reality few VW Polo 1,1 liters engine giving 40 hk. Now it was quite acceptable.

During the whole of it's production period in 28 years from 1957 to 1991 there was lack of material which was common in East Germany.

Due to this case the car was centrally built as a monocoque steel plate unit. The rest as roof, rear end, engine hood screens and doors were made of self made plastic. All were taken from excess materiel like wool baked together with plastic. The product was called Duroplastic.

It look like bakelite and was prepared by reused wool, which was bought from Soviet Union. The wool was mixed with phenol and resins. Once a reputation said that it was pressed paper scrap, but that was wrong.

The East German citizens could order a car, but delivery times were several years. Exceptionally they could get it at once provided that it was paid with west currency. Fo these cars the roof was painted white.

On the 30 th of April 1991 this labor intensive production after 28 years and 3,7 million cars delivered.

After the reunion the old factory buildings were bought by Volkswagen for a very low cost, in this an ironic coupling to Auto Union.

Volkswagen created after the war the Ingolstadt Audi union factory. In Zwickau before the war the former Auto Union (Audi) with their production. Former Soviet government had after the war confiscated the Zwickau factory 1948 and also several more. In these old buildings the old 1938 DKW was produced  up to 1957.

When the name DKW was owned by Volkswagen in West Germany the name was forced to be changed to IFA. A good pressure for this was to stop East German export. Many of the Germen  had escaped to West Germany they were engaged in the Ingolstadt factory where a new Audi (DKW) factory grew up.

The connection of the two German states was started 1989. Volkswagen could now for a ver cheap cost 1990 buy all IFA production units.

In Zwickau it became a center for engine production and a less production of Golf and Passat.

Later Mercedes built the 30 first prototypes. These were handed over to SS for evaluation and leader was under Porsche's control. Up to Sept. 1939 the factory in Wolfsburg was built and here would this car be put together.

Sorry to say the war came and the talent of Porsche had to be used for military products. Among all these well known project were the tanks types Tiger, Panther and jeep model Kübelwagen.

Sweden has during 1990 bought the follower for Panter. Not much like the origin but next the same name Leopard. Porsche's son and next son continuous  with the Porsche business. Ferd. died 1951.

NSU in Germany had bought a license for the Wankel engine. NSU put bid effort and money to develop this engine to be used in different NSU cars.

It became much money and took long time.

1964 the first NSU Spider car with Wankel engine was sold. 2375 cars were built up to 1967.

The car was an update from NSU Prinz which had a 2 cyl 4 stroke engine. The engine room had plenty of place for the Wankel engine with its 50 hk.

Lots of work was done to adapt the equipments after the demand of 1964 up to 1967.

The second model NSU Ro80 which was produced between 1967 and 1977. This was an excellent car and had a very good road stability. The Wankel engine had two rotors and 115 hk.

Now it showed up that the material in closing lists, the same as piston rings, did not keep it's function long enough. The engine lost it's power after a few 10000 km.

The material in the first development was technical coal, they were changed later for another material (unknown which). The life cycle increased 10th times.

NSU car was convicted and could not be sold. This in spite of a guarantee change of engines was promised. 

As the car were sold with 100000 km guarantee, the cost for NSU became more than the company could afford.

Wankel engine construction. Ref. 49

Mazda development

The only and last producer in the world is Mazda. They still sell one model with 2 rotors and 240 hk as a  sport car. The name is RX-8. The mean that the problems with rotor seals are solved.

When Mazda took over all development all problems were solved. The cooling of outer shell and inner rotor are cooled by oil which circulate in and out with the help of a pump through the crankshaft and also lubricates the gears.

In this way no oil will be in contact with explosion process and oil will not be necessary to be changed of this reason. A Wankel engine generate only small amount of vibrations.

Ford has produced cars in Germany since several years. Who will not remember Ford Eifel, Anglia and others.

1950 Ford started to plan for e new model. A medium size family sedan.

The name would be Taunus 17 M P2. 1.7 was the engine size. They started with a 1500 cc but the car became heavier than what was planned and engine size was raised to 1700 cc and 60 ps.

This design got many nicknames as for example Barock car. This was a nickname taken from BMW 501 from 1951 to 1960, also called Barock Angle.

The car was first shown at Frankfurt Auto Motor Show. Totally there were almost 240000 cars sold during 4 years production. The competition against Opel was not near as Opel sold 817000 Olympia Rekord during the same time.

The only major design change to the TS coupe was the change from rear-hinged suicide doors to front-hinged conventional doors in 1964.

The TS coupe was always ten to twenty percent more expensive than the T sedan. Total production of TS coupes was 66,511. (text from Wikipedia)