Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (Industrial Association for Vehicle Construction),
usually abbreviated as IFA, was a conglomerate and a union of companies for
vehicle construction in East Germany. IFA produced bicycles, motorcycles, light
commercial vehicles, automobiles, vans and heavy trucks.
IFA cars were based on the pre war designs of DKW and made in a factory in Zwickau.
The F8 had a two cylinder 684 cc engine and the F9 had a three cylinder 804 cc unit.
The F8 bodies were straight copies of the prewar models and rapidly looked
old-fashioned but some had more modern coachwork by Baur of Stuttgart, then in
West Germany. The 3 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 Zwickaus and the
F9 was rebodied to become the Wartburg and production transferred to Eisenach....