MZ Classic Cars for Sale

MZ (Motorrad Zschopau GmbH) was a German motorcycle manufacturer. Launched in 1906 by the Danish engineer and Industrialist Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, the company is best known for their patent free RT 125, one of the most copied motorcycle models in the world.

The History of MZ

The story of MZ began when Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen purchased an empty cloth factory in Zschopau, Saxony. It was from this factory that the company initially produced small low powered engines for bicycles. In 1917, the company moved onto bigger things as Rasmussen invented his steam-powered car, the Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (Also known as the DKW) and then in 1920 production of a small 2-stroke engine for bicycles began. Known as Das Kleine Wonder (The Little Wonder) more than 30000 were sold in three years. In 1923 the company was renamed DKW

In 1922 the first motorcycles were built, and by 1927 the company had begun racing activities. Expansion continued when in 1928 DKW took over the Audi factory at Zwickau and then in 1929 DKW became the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, partly due to the use of their mechanical driven assembly line allowing them to produce 60,000 machines from their Zschopau factory during that year.

DKW’s success continued during the early years 1930’s with the release of DKW small cars and in 1932 the founding of the Auto Union with other brands Wanderer, Audi, and Horch. However, war was coming and by 1939 DKW found itself building motorcycles for the Nazis.

Following World War Two, DKW was taken over by the East German state and re-named as Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau – a communist controlled union of companies for vehicle construction. In 1950, work recommenced on the RT 125 motorcycle which had previously been in development before the war. As part of post-war reparations, this model was patent free and went on to be further developed in countries all over the world. Notable motorcycles based upon the DKW RT 125 include the Harley Davidson Hummer, the BSA Bantam and the MMZ M-1A Moskva.

In 1952 the first two-stroke shaft drive bike, the BK350 was introduced, and in 1956 the Zschopau factory was renamed VEB Motorradwerk Zschopau, and the brand MZ was born. In the following years, MZ celebrated a number of milestones such as, in 1970 the production of their millionth motorcycle, an MZ ETS 250 Trophy Sport and in 1982 their two millionth, an MZ ETZ 250. But, following privatisation in 1990 the company began to experience a drop in sales.

The End of MZ

In 1993 MZ entered receivership, over the following decade many attempts were made to save the brand, including a purchase by former Grand Prix stars Ralph Waldmann and Martin Wimmer, however, unfortunately, on May 17, 2013, MZ was declared insolvent and unable to operate.