COLD WAR CHARISMA.(Escape Roads)(Wartburgs)

Byline: BROOKS BRIERLEY

Wartburg was an old automotive name the East Germans revived for their new front-wheel-drive car introduced in 1955. It was built in the former BMW factory in Eisenach, near the West German border. The car was set on a 100-inch-wheelbase chassis with a 37-hp, three-cylinder two-stroke engine (modeled on the prewar DKW F9). The transmission had four speeds, steering was rack-and- pinion. British car magazine tests of the time identified Wartburg's enigmatic personality: Good handling and a very roomy interior were on the positive side. Leisurely acceleration (0 to 50 mph in 21 seconds compared with a Morris Minor's 16 seconds) and heavy pressure needed to use the brakes were among the negatives.

Wartburg came to the United States in the late 1950s, when the small-car craze was beginning. A resourceful Los Angeles car dealer, Willy Witkin, became the main American outlet. Selling an unassuming car with an Old Europe city driving temperament in California was a challenge, but by 1961 Witkin had built a modest-sized business. While he overcame the banks' unwillingness to finance Wartburgs for fear the lacquer paint would not hold up over the life of the loan, Witkin could not redress the political tensions the marque generated. After the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, people picketed his dealerships. There was hate mail. He gave up.

Wartburgs were not cheap here. A basic, four-door sedan cost $1,688 in 1958; the top-of-the-line sport coupe, with lines reminiscent of a Mercedes-Benz, was $2,799. To justify the price, Witkin tried to improve on the Wartburg line, but the factory would not allow many changes from the German specs. Some models were imported in two-tone colors; a sunroofed, five-passenger sedan had seats that folded into a bed. A five-passenger convertible with full leather interior listed for $2,315-with radio, heater and white walls extra.

Collector Victor Birschansky got his first Wartburg ...