MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk

Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH (formerly MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk GmbH) is a German motorcycle manufacturer located in Zschopau, Saxony. The acronym MZ since 1956 stands for Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH (German for Zschopau engine factory). From 1992 to 1999 the company was called MuZ, an acronym for Motorrad und Zweiradwerk (German for motorcycle and two-wheeler factory). Timeline 1906 Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (Denmark) buys an empty cloth factory in Zschopau 1907 engine supplier, producing engines for bicycles, motor-assisted bicycle 1917 Rasmussen invents the steam-powered car (Dampf-Kraft-Wagen), also known by its trademark DKW 1920 Release of the 2-stroke engines for motorcycles 1923 Company is renamed DKW 1924 DKW buys Slaby-Beringer 1927 Company starts racing activities 1928 DKW takes over the Audi factory at Zwickau 1929 60,000 motorcycles leave the Zschopau factory, and DKW is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world 1931 Introduction of DKW small cars 1932 The Auto Union is formed from Audi, Horch, Wanderer and DKW 1939 RT 125 is developed 1948 Now owned by the East German state, company is renamed Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (IFA), a Communist-controlled umbrella foundation. 1949 Auto Union (and therefore, DKW) officially moves to Ingolstadt, Bavaria in West Germany. 1950 The Zschopau works begin production of the RT 125 model, developed before the war, under the trademark IFA (Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau). This model had become patent-free after World War II as part of war reparations and was further developed in Britain (BSA Bantam), USA (Harley-Davidson Hummer), Russia (M-1A Moskva), Japan, Italy and West Germany. 1952 The BK350 appears, the first two-stroke shaft drive. 1956 The works is now called VEB Motorradwerk Zschopau, or MZ for short. 1962 Manufacture of the ES 125/ES 150 begins. This was the first motorcycle with an asymmetric low beam headlight pattern. 1970 The millionth motorcycle rolls off the conveyor belt, an MZ ETS 250 Trophy Sport 1972 MZ takes over manufacture of sidecars from Stoye. 1983 The two millionth motorcycle rolls off the conveyor belt, this time an MZ ETZ 250.