The origins of DKW go back to the early 1900s.

In 1958 a one litre version of the 3 cylinder DKW was introduced, named the Auto Union 1000

DKWs are well known for rallying, winning the 1956 East African Safari Rally and the Finnish Thousand Lakes. The Auto Union 1000 had outright victory in the 1958 Safari and 1959 Acropolis Rallies and an F12 came third in the 2015 Monte-Carlo Historique Rally