BMW 3/15 PS DA 3 – Type Wartburg
Avid sports riders, BMW introduced in 1930 with the tiny type 3/15 PS DA 3 Wartburg, fashioned after the English model of the Austin 7 Ulster “, a special treat since 1903, so a car was for the first time the name of the Eisenach landmark. – the Wartburg., 750-cc four-cylinder engine of the small roadster with boat tail had it tuned by an increased compression, a Kupferansaugkrümmer and a dual exhaust system from 15 to 18 hp. thus the only just over 400 kg sports car was more than 90 km / h and soon became the popular and successful competition car.
BMW’s debut as an automobile manufacturer was in 1928 with the acquisition of the Dixi plant. The latter had emerged in 1904 from the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach AG, but had made little headway in the automobile sector up to 1927. The marque in fact offered a range of passenger and goods vehicles with a variety of body designs, but these were seldom produced in volume.That was to change in 1927 with the acquisition of the licence for a small English car, the Austin Seven. This had been updated since 1922 and had become one of the most successful cars in its class. Although following the production start of the Eisenach licensed version, the Dixi 3/15 PS DA 1 (German version), cars began to leave the Eisenach Dixi plant for the first time in significant volumes, the company’s financial collapse could no longer be halted. BMW took over the company on October 1, 1928 and for the time being continued production of the DA 1 under the Dixi name.
By the summer of 1929, this model had been developed further into the first car to bear the white and blue emblem, the BMW 3/15 PS DA 2, which differed from the previous model in many important details. Brakes on all four wheels and more spacious and better quality bodies contributed in no small way to the model upgrade.
From 1930, BMW offered enthusiastic drivers a special treat in the form of the tiny type 3/15 PS DA 3 Wartburg Sport, based on the English Austin 7 “Ulster”. For the first time since 1903, a car again bore the name of the Wartburg, the castle that is a landmark above the town of Eisenach. The small roadster, with what was then regarded as a very smart boat-type tail, had a 750-cc, four-cylinder engine which had been tuned from 15 to 18 horsepower by increasing the compression and using a copper induction manifold and a twin exhaust system. The sports car, weighing only 400 kilograms, had a top speed of over 90 km/h and developed into a popular and successful competition car. Only 150 of these thoroughly charming roadsters, the founders of BMW’s automobile sport history, were sold up to 1931.
General data
- Construction………………………….1930 – 1931
- Number produce …………………….150
- Type of body…………………………None
- Special bodies………………………..None
- Price……………………………………RM 3.100
Specifications
- Engine
Motortype………………………Four-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x Stroke (mm)…………..56 x 76
Capacity……………………….748,75 ccm
Performance…………………..18 bhp at 3500 rpm
Compression……………………1:7
Maximum speed in km/h………90 (approx. 56 mph)
Valves………………………….Side, vertical, operated by camshaft in block
Carburetion system…………..1 Solex 26 FV updraught carburettor with choke - Powermode
Clutch…………………………..Single dry plate clutch
Transmission…………………..Three-speed central gearshift, no synchromesh
Gearbox ratios…………………1:3.25/1:1.82/1:1
Reverse gear…………………..1:3.42
Drive transmission…………….1:5.35 or 1:4.88 - Electric system
Generator………………………60 W
Battery…………………………6 V 45 Ah
Spark plugs…………………….Bosch M 80/1 - Suspension
Body/chassis…………………..A-shaped frame made from U-section girders, open roadster body
Rear-wheel suspension……….Rigid axle, quarter-elliptic cantilever springs, Bosch friction dampers
Wheel rims……………………..Semi-flat rims
Tyres…………………………..26 x 3.50 or 4.00-18
Front brakes…………………..Cable-actuated internal expanding shoe brake
Rear brakes…………………….Cable-actuated internal expanding shoe brake - Measures and weight
Length/Width/Height (mm)…..3150 x 1150 x 1400
Wheel base (mm)……………..1905
Front track (mm)……………..1030
Rear track (mm)……………….1030
Empty weight (kg)…………….410
Fuel consumption (l/100 km)…6.5
