The F103 Audi 60 is a noteworthy jalopy of historical significance.
[Not a valid template]Inside the crisp modernity of the Al Nabooda Audi showroom in Dubai lies a floor dedicated to exclusivity. This is an area reserved solely for clientele seeking the finest machinery, the crème de la crème of the produce procured through Vorsprung durch Technik.
Within these contemporary surroundings sits a little fella which, at first glance, would appear out of place amongst its modern four-ringed descendants. Classic three-box design, chrome trim and über-cool rear window blinds aren’t really modern Ingolstadt ingredients. This, however, is an Audi F103 which is a noteworthy jalopy of historical significance.
Its predecessor, the two-stroke DKW (Dampf-Kraft-Wagen) F102, was produced by the Auto Union brand during Daimler-Benz ownership and was the last model developed before Volkswagen took over the show in 1965. Volkswagen then ditched the DKW brand because of its association with two-stroke technology, fitted a smoother four-stroke engine and gave the F102 a facelift. Internally, this car was known by the designation F103 but it was originally sold simply as the “Audi“.
The Audi name had completely disappeared since 1939 until Volkswagen resurrected it in 1965. The F103 is therefore not only responsible for re-establishing the marque, it also offered a compact executive saloon within the Volkswagen group and Audi emerged as a premium brand. This is the birth of modern Audi.
As different engine variants appeared, the ‘Audi’ was renamed to include the power output (in PS). The Audi 72 was followed by the more powerful Audi 80 and Audi Super 90 sports saloons. This example is an Audi 60 which began production in 1968 and, although the least powerful in the F103 range, has an historical aspect all of its own.
This car sits in the executive floor of the Audi showroom in Dubai as it is of great value to Al Nabooda Automobiles. The Audi 60 was the very first Audi imported into the United Arab Emirates by Khalifa Al Nabooda and the significance of that has not been missed. Without the creation of the F103 this showroom would not exist, Audi would have remained a defunct marque of pre-war Germany and suffered the same fate as the forgotten Auto Union brands Horch, Wanderer and DKW.
