The IFA marque, which stood for Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau, comprised a number of vehicle construction companies in East Germany. Among the types of vehicles produced were motorcycles, vans, light commercial vehicles, as well as cars. Famous IFA companies include EMW, which manufactured Wartburg cars and the Sachsenring company. The companies most famous models include the IFA F8 and F9, with related marques including the Sachsenring-manufactured Trabant, among others.
Origin of the IFA F8 and F9
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the F8 existed as a DWK model and, as a result, the F8 was produced under the DWK F8 moniker. Production halted as a result of the war, and models under development were shelved. In post-war East Germany, the model was reintroduced as the IFA F8, as a direct copy of the DWK version. It incorporated the original two-cylinder two-stroke, 684cc capacity engine and was relatively dated, compared to what was available in West Germany at the time. The company possessed the plans for the F9, however, offering the potential for an updated market entry, with minimal research and development.
Key Models
The F8 was produced in its IFA incarnation between 1948 and 1955, when it was discontinued, due to its outdated design and performance. Its successor, the IFA F9 was introduced in 1949. It incorporated an entirely new body design and engine, derived from a DWK F9 prototype that had been intended to go to production before the war. While power and maximum speed of the F8 was 20bhp and 53 mph respectively, the new F9 could offer 30bhp through the same front-wheel-drive (FWD) configuration. This represented a massive 50 percent increase in power output, and was largely due to an increase in the number of cylinders, from two to three, and an engine capacity increase from 684cc to 910cc. This new IFA model was produced to relatively high demand, with a total of 40,663 rolling off the production lines in the timeframe it was manufactured. This compared with approximately 76,000 F8s, 50,000 by DWK and 26,000 by IFA. The IFA badge was removed from 1956 onwards, with the IFA F8 and F9 going on to form the basis for the Zwickau P70 and the Wartburg respectively. This ended the production of the IFA models as they truly existed, and the IFA P8 and IFA P9 have become something of collectors’ items as a result. A small number of F8 cabriolets were produced and these are of particular interest and value from a collectors’ standpoint, due to their rarity. Similarly, the F9 cabriolet is very rare, with only standard saloons seeming to survive, though these are also collector items. This is due in part to the materials used and the design employed.