The Wartburg 1.3 is an automobile which was produced by Automobilwerk Eisenach between October 1988 and April 1991. The car was an updated version of the Wartburg 353, with a 1.3 litre, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine as also used in the second generation Volkswagen Polo, instead of the original 1-litre, two-stroke, three-cylinder unit found in the 353.
In 1984 a deal was reached in which IFA would assemble Volkswagen's 1.3-liter EA111 engine under license, in the Barkas plant in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz). The engine was too long to be mounted longitudinally in the Wartburg 353, and too long to fit between the front wheels in a transverse installation. One prototype with the longitudinal engine was built, nicknamed Nasenbär (Coati) because of its long nose. Wartburg chose the transverse option, and thus the Wartburg 1.3 only entered production in October 1988 as a new transmission also had to be developed, as well as an entirely new front end (everything ahead of the A-pillar was new). The track was widened by 10 cm (3.9 in) in front and by 6 cm (2.4 in) in the rear, necessitating small fender extensions. The new drivetrain also meant that the gearshifter migrated to the floor, instead of on the column where it was usually found on Wartburgs. The considerable changes meant that the development costs far outreached the projected expense of manufacturing the four-stroke 1600 cc engine developed by Wartburg's own engineers in the early seventies.
The appearance was also altered by the installation of a new front clip, with large wraparound turn signals and a smoothed-off appearance. Being rather expensive (nearly twice the price of the 353 W), the 1.3 sold slowly from the get-go. The two-stroke 353 W continued to be built until 1989, when imported cars became available. Being a four-stroke was not enough of a novelty to convince buyers, especially in Western export markets. After the reunification in late 1989, the Wartburg 1.3 was no longer competitive, and production slowed down until it was discontinued on 10 April 1991. A pickup version (not available within the Eastern Bloc) called the Wartburg 1.3 Trans was also available, although only about 920 were built. A total of 152,757 Wartburg 1.3 were built, about half of them intended for export.
The engine originally developed 58 PS (43 kW), after July 1990 this was increased to 64 PS (47 kW).
Karmann showed a more luxurious prototype based on the Tourist, called simply the "Tourist L". It had a glass sunroof, roof rails, tinted windows, and an upgraded interior. Irmscher developed a modernized, sportier-looking version with 14-inch alloy wheels called the 1.3 New Line. Wartburg could see the writing on the wall, however, and only two New Lines were built. A Wartburg 1.4 was also developed in 1990, with a Renault engine. This was in an attempt to lower costs (which were rising rapidly after the reunification) by thirty per cent, and the Barkas-built drivetrain was the most expensive part. One operational prototype was built, but it was decided to liquidate Automobilwerk Eisenach rather than continuing production. A joint venture with Opel was chosen, and in the Wartburg plant was replaced by one building the Opel Vectra.
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