Barkas B 1000

The Barkas B1000 is a forward control van made by East German manufacturer Barkas from 1961 to 1988, in Chemnitz. It was made in multiple body styles: a van, a minibus seating eight, and a pickup truck. Special-purpose vehicles based on the B1000 were made as well.

Overview

The B1000 uses body-on-frame construction, with box-section or U-section frame rails being used depending on the type of vehicle; panel vans and minibuses have box-section frames, whilst pickup trucks and special vehicles have U-section frames. It is powered by a 1-litre liquid-cooled two-stroke straight-three engine coupled to a four-speed synchromesh manual transmission and mounted ahead of the front axle, between the driver and passenger seats. Depending on configuration, the B1000 can reach a top speed of.
The B1000's independent suspension is of a diagonal link design in both the front and rear, with torsion bars and hydraulic shock absorbers. Hydraulically operated drum brakes are also present on both axles.
Production of the four-door panel van commenced in June 1961, with the minibus following in spring 1964, and the pickup truck in spring 1965.
With its payload of and its spacious interior, the B1000 proved to be very durable and reliable.
The B1000 received some minor updates in 1963 and 1972:

1963: The single-circuit brake system was upgraded to a dual-circuit brake system, and the column shifter was replaced with a regular central shifter.
1972: The 220W alternator was replaced with a 500W alternator, and power output was increased from to.

There were no major design alterations across the B1000's 27-year production period. The succeeding Barkas B1000-1, introduced in autumn 1989, carried over the B1000's underlying design, but was fitted with a different engine.
In 1990, manufacturing operations were sold to a Russian company, but production was never restarted.