Zündapp Classic Cars for Sale

The German motorcycle company Zünder- und Apparatebau G.m.b.H. – almost always shortened to Zündapp – was founded in 1917 in Nuremberg by Fritz Neumeyer and the industrial companies Krupp and Thiel. The rights are now held by Xunda Motor Co. of China.

Early days at Zündapp

Zündapp was founded during World War One, and its first products were detonators used to trigger explosive charges. However, after the end of the war, there was much less demand for military equipment, so in 1919 Neumeyer bought out Krupp and Thiel's share and ran the company himself. He decided to move into motorcycle manufacturing, and the first model produced was the Zündapp Z22, which appeared in 1921. This was a straightforward and dependable machine that sold in large numbers and secured Zündapp's future. This model was eventually supplemented in 1933 with the K-series bikes, which pioneered the use of an enclosed crank-case and offered engines at multiple sizes between 200 and 800 cc.

Zündapp at its zenith in the Thirties

The K-series motorcycles proved to be a hit with the German public, and Zündapp more than tripled its share of the domestic market between 1931 and 1937. Encouraged by this success, in 1938 Neumeyer introduced the 600 cc KS600 model, which was ideal for partnering with the popular Steib BW38 sidecar. Since a variant of the BW38 was produced for the German armed forces, the KS600 was perfect for the rapidly expanding military under the Third Reich. A few years later, the KS600 was supplanted by the KS750, but motorcycle production was halted later in World War Two and Zündapp's facilities were used for the construction of aircraft engines.

Struggles for Zündapp in the post-war world

In the 1950s, Zündapp ceased to produce large motorcycles, instead concentrating on smaller bikes such as the Bella scooter, as well as the short-lived Janus microcar. The company's headquarters moved to Munich in 1958, and during the 1960s and 1970s Zündapp motorcycles performed well in motocross events, with André Malherbe winning two 125 cc European titles. However, sales of the company's bikes then fell sharply, and despite a collaboration with the Indian Royal Enfield company, Zündapp's factory closed in 1984. The Tianjin-based Xunda Motor Co. bought the rights to the Zündapp name and the production line itself, and went on to make Zündapp-branded motorcycles during the late 1980s and early 1990s.