 | ||
Melkus RS 1000 was a sports car from Melkus. It was a sleek sports car powered by a tuned mid-mounted Wartburg 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine from the Wartburg 353. Most of the cars used the 992 cc version giving a top speed of 175 km/h, but some of the later cars had the 1200 cc version. The race version of the 992 cc engine fitted with a sports carburettor produced 90 hp for street version and 118 hp for racing version and a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph). It had gull-wing doors. 101 cars were made between 1969 and 1979 in the Dresden factory.
The chassis was a traditional ladder frame with a roll bar integrated into the windscreen frame and behind the driver. The body was in fibreglass.
A Melkus RS 1000 is featured in the music video for ATC's 2000 hit, Around the World.
In time for the 50 year jubilee a limited series of 15 RS 1000 will be made. The first sports car of this series was presented on November 26, 2006.
An open roadster called Melkus PT 73 Spyder was built using the RS 1000 chassis, but only as a single prototype.
An updated version, dubbed the RS 2000, is currently in development. Melkus has announced the new RS 2000 would be exhibited at the Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (International Motor Show) in Frankfurt, Germany from the 17th to the 27th of September, 2009.
The company is now insolvent.