The DKW story actually began in 1916 when a Dane, Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen, set up shop at Zschopau in the Saxony region of Germany, initially producing parts for machinery used in the textile industry. During WW1, an acute shortage of petrol encouraged him to produce a steam-engined car, the DKW. The DKW name was conceived from Damft Kraft Wagen, meaning ‘steam-driven vehicle’. Within three years, he had branched into motorcycles, initially producing a 118cc ‘clip-on’ engine to power a bicycle called the Hilfsmotor, with the motor mounted behind the seat above the rear wheel, driving through a belt. A three-speed countershaft gearbox was built into the crankcase. It was well made, easy to ride, and gave a considerable boost in performance over pedal power, although the pedals remained, just in case. In the advertising for the Hilfsmotor, DKW cheekily coined another anagram using the company initials, “Das Kleine Wunder”, meaning the little marvel”.
The Hilsmotor was developed into othera pulley on the rear wheel. DKW expanded their range of engines, which were designed by Hugo Ruppe, and found a ready market amongst other manufacturers of motorcycles and mopeds. To publicise the company’s technology, DKW raced in the 175cc and 250cc classes using their patented Ladenpumpe system, which employed a separated piston in the crankcase to provide a boosted inlet charge.
