Barkas
was the East German manufacturer of small delivery vans and minibuses named the B1000 and belonged to the State "Industrial association - vehicle production", called "Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (IFA)".
The van was built in a new factory in Chemnitz (then known as Karl-Marx-Stadt).
B1000 production started in 1961 and continued until 1991.
Originally the B1000 was powered by the 45 horsepower three cylinder, two stroke DKW derived engine found also in contemporary Wartburgs.
Shortly before production ceased, the model designation was changed to B1000/1, and the old engine was replaced by a 1.3 four-stroke engine manufactured under license from VW.
The B1000 was a remarkable van at the time; the unusually high loading capacity, two-stroke engine, front wheel drive and semi trailing arms suspension differed from the more traditionally constructed vans in the West.
Being the only commercially available van in the GDR the factory offered many body styles; a flatbed, a panel van, a people carrier, a box van and an ambulance were all available.
Comparisons with the Volkswagen van of the early 1960s were inevitable.
Its front-mounted engine made the Barkas easier to load and more variable in its configuration,
with space for up to 8 passenger seats.
The vehicles were mostly produced for public service applications, with private customer delivery times in the 1960s stretching to heroic levels commonly associated with Trabants, of between ten and fourteen years.
Technical data: car weight: 1170 kg; engine: 3-cylinder / 2-stroke, displacement: 991 ccm, max power: 42 hp at 4000 rpm, max torque: 98 N/m at 2500 rpm; transmission: 4-speed manual; top speed: 100 km/h, fuel consumption: 10.5 liters / 100 km/h; payload: 1000 kg, hold content: 6.4 m3
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