Audi F103
F103 was the home assignment for a serial of car models produced by Auto-Union in West Germany from 1965 to 1972, came from the early DKW F102. To mean the difference from a two-stroke to four-stroke locomotive, the DKW brand was dropped in favour of Audi, a figure which had lain sleeping since the Second World War
Models
The 1st model was launched simply as the Audi, later being renamed the Audi 72 (72 being the nominal power output of the engine in Pferdestrke). The more potent Audi eighty and Audi Super ninety sports saloons appeared in 1966: in 1968 the arriving of the less strong Audi sixty finished the range. The Audi seventy five replaced both the Audi 72 and the Audi eighty from 1969 onwards. In 1972 the F103 series was abandoned in favor of the "B1" Audi eighty.
Engines
The F103 series were supplied totally with 4 stroke 4 stroke engines. These were longitudinally mounted. This mixture of front-wheel drive, which car Union's DKW brand had pioneered in the 1930s, and the longitudinally positioning of a 4 cylinder engine would give the basic template for Volkswagen's successful new Passat as well as the Audi models Audi 80 and Audi a hundred after Volkswagen purchased the business from Daimler-Benz late in 1964. Since the framework on the F103 was taken from the DKW F102 with a 3-cylinder 2 stroke engine the longer engine meant the cooling system needed to be offset to the left of the engine rather than the standard position in front of it.
Running gear
The automobile came with a 4 speed manual transmission. Inboard mounted front disk brakes were featured, which was still strange in the mid-size auto market at this time. The rear brakes followed the more standard drum configuration.
Bodywork
The F103 bodyshell was a development of the earlier DKW F102. The engine compartment needed to be extended so the new 4 cylinder engine may be homed. The front as well as tail was also cosmetically revised: Audi F103s sold in Europe all featured quasi-rectangular headlamps which were becoming trendy at the time, while the F102 had used round headlamp units. All Audi F103 models were offered as pubs with 2 and 4 doors. Nonetheless the 2 door bar was not sold in markets with small requirement for 2 door automobiles of this size, eg Italy and Britain. With the exception of the Audi Super ninety, the F103 series were available also as three-door estate models. Making its debut at the Geneva car Show in March 1966, this was called, like the Volkswagen estate models, Variation.
Commercial
During the early 1960s vehicle Union was in commercial retreat: the Audi F103 was a success when compared to current car Union products even though its business success was trumped by successive Audi models. In July 1967 it was announced that 100,000 Audis had been finished : production of the F103 had by this point built up to a rate of just about forty thousand a year and the company was moved to reject rumination that another new Audi model would be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the Autumn / Fall of 1967. (The Audi one hundred was introduced only towards the end of 1968.
