DKW has a long and complicated history. It started when Danish engineer Jorgen Rasmussen emigrated to Germany and experimented with steam cars during World War Ⅰ. Dampfkraftwagen, German for "steam-driven vehicle," was abbreviated to DKW. However, high wartime costs ended the plan. After the war, Rasmussen designed a small, two-stroke gas engine for toys, again under the DKW name, though this time it stood for Des Knabens Wunsch or "the boy's wish." The two-stroke engines grew in size and by 1922 the company was building motorcycles. The ever-flexible DKW acronym now stood for Das Kleine Wunder-"the small miracle." By 1928, DKW was one of the largest motorcycle companies in the world and had introduced a car powered by a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine.
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