In the mid 50s the technician chief of Auto Union went to the design-team and wanted a Coupé "with a design like a bomb". American cars were "en vogue" and so the team was inspired by the all-new 1955 Ford Thunderbird. In 1958 the first try of the AU 1000 two-seater-coupé was shown to the press. After small retouches at the grille, the interior and the wheels, the car was launched within the same year.
The bodywork of the 1000 SP (SP for "Special") was built at the well known car body manufacturer Baur in Stuttgart/Germany, who also built bodyworks for Auto Union before WW II. The completed bodywork was delivered from Stuttgart to Ingolstadt, where the SP was built between the Mungo and the Schnellaster, later also between the Junior- and F-12-models.
At the IAA 1961 a beautiful two-seater-Cabriolet had its debut, the 1000 SP Roadster. Because of new interest in safetyness the fins of the Coupé were rounded. Since 1962 Roadster and Coupé were delivered with disk-brakes at the front.
After around 5000 built Coupés and 1640 built Cabriolets the production ended in 1965.
Technical Datas
Auto Union 1000 SP
Motor: three-cylinder two-stroke
Displacement: 981 ccm
Power: 36 kw/55 HP
Vmax: 145 - 150 kph
Built between: 1958 - 1965 (Roadster: 1961 - 1965)
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