Originally the B 1000 was powered by the 45 PS[1] three cylinder, two stroke DKW derived engine found also in contemporary Wartburgs.

The Belgian importer began installing a 1.8-litre (Endura-D) Ford diesel engine in the 1980s as the two-stroke was no longer competitive.

Its front-mounted engine made the Barkas easier to load and more variable in its configuration, with space for up to eight passenger seats.

[1] The vehicles were mostly produced for public service applications, with private customer delivery times in the 1960s stretching to heroic levels commonly associated with Trabants, of between ten and fourteen years.

The vans were often used allegedly to snatch citizens directly from the street, and were usually disguised as food delivery trucks.