Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau

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IFA W50 truck

IFA F8

IFA F8 Cabriolet from 1954

IFA F9

Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (Industrial Association for Vehicle Construction), usually abbreviated as IFA, was a conglomerate and a union of companies for vehicle construction in the former East Germany (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik - DDR).

IFA produced bicycles, motorcycles, light commercial vehicles, automobiles, vans and heavy trucks. All East German vehicle manufacturers - like Trabant, Wartburg, Barkas, Robur, Multicar, Simson or MZ - were part of the IFA.

Car production

IFA cars were based on the pre-war designs of Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (DKW) and made in a factory in Zwickau. The F8 had a two cylinder 684 cubic centimetres (41.7 cu in) engine, and the F9 had a three cylinder 804 cubic centimetres (49.1 cu in) unit. The F8 bodies were straight copies of the pre-war models, and rapidly looked old-fashioned, but some had more modern coachwork by Baur of Stuttgart, then in West Germany. The three cylinder cars (F9) had not got into production before war broke out in 1939, and so had more up to date bodies similar to the West German DKWs. Over 26,000 F8's and 30,000 F9s were built. IFA also produced W50 trucks and Robur light trucks and vans.

The IFA badge was dropped from cars in 1956, and the F8s became Zwickau P70s, and the F9 was rebodied to become the Wartburg and production transferred to Eisenach.

Vehicle gallery

Two wheels

EMW R 35	MZ RT 125/3, 1959–1962	MZ TS 150 "Luxus", 1973–1985	MZ TS 250/1 "Luxus", 1976–1981
MZ ETZ 250	Simson Schwalbe	Simson S51	IWL, 1962–1964

Cars

IFA F8	IFA F9	EMW 340 limousine	P 240 "Sachsenring" cabriolet
Trabant P50	Trabant 601 S Universal	Wartburg 312 Camping	Wartburg 353W Tourist

Transporter & trucks

Framo	Barkas B1000 flatbed truck	Multicar M 25	Robur LD 3000
G5	H6 based on the H6 bus	IFA W50 water tender	IFA L60

Other vehicles

Tractor Fortschritt ZT 300 tractor

Fortschritt E 514 combine harvester

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