Wanderer 5/12 PS
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 01 September 2008 |
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Wanderer 5/12 PS Car : Wanderer 5/12 PS Year : 1914 Engine : 4 cylinders in line Bore and stroke :62×95 mm Cylinder capacity : 1145 cc Gears : 3 forward Brake horse power : 12 Maximum speed : 44 mph Wheelbase : 7 ft 2½ ins (2.9 m) Suspension : front: semi-elliptic leaf- springs ;rear : ¾ elliptic leaf- springs Wanderer began by manufacturing bicycles near Chemnitz in Saxony, under the name of Wanderer Werke of Schonau. In 1911 it started car production after having tried to produce motorcycles. The firm’s first car was the 5/12. It ha a unit construction engine and 3-speed transmission. The engine had overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves, and developed 12 bhp at 1,800 revs. The tandem arrangement of the seats explains the vehicle’s narrowness of 3 feet 6½ inches (2.20 m). It also had a low overall weight of 1,545 pounds (700 kg) but its maximum speed of 44 mph was quite fast for its time. Wanderer called this original mini car Püppchen the name which Opel also gave to one of its models. In its early years Wanderer confined itself almost exclusively to small engined cars, but in 1929 it put a 2600 cc 6-cylinder model into production and in 1931 it commissioned 6- and 8-cylinder engines from Ferdinand Porsche. In 1932 Wanderer merged with Audi, DKW and Horch to form Auto-Union. The new models with Porsche-designed engines were in the 1933 Berlin Motor Show. Wanderer concentrated on producing military vehicles for the army during the war, and car production was never resumed when it was over.
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