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AUDI HAS A STREET-LEGAL 16-CYLINDER SUPERCAR - AND IT'S 90 YEARS OLD!

The Auto Union Silver Arrows are the legendary 1930s Grand Prix race cars, and back in the 1930s, the company planned a street-legal version of the racecar. The operative word was planned, the iconic racecar didn’t make it to production as a street car - until now. The stunning Schnellsportwagen was unveiled at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. In 1933, Auto Union AG commissioned the Stuttgart design office of Ferdinand Porsche to develop a race car based on the 750 kg formula and work on the Auto Union Type A began in March of 1933. A year later, Hans Stuck set a world record driving the car on the AVUS circuit in Berlin and when these Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz race cars arrived on the international racing scene, the legend of the Silver Arrows was born. Auto Union was the first to place the engine behind the driver and its been the favoured layout since then. Auto Union went on to set world records, won numerous hill climbs, three German championships, and the European championship in 1936 with the advanced Auto Union Type C. While the Grand Prix race cars were being developed, Auto Union AG and the Ferdinand Porsche design office also planned a street-legal version. “Schnellsportwagen” was the car’s intended marketing name. It became known as the Auto Union Type 52. The Porsche design office drew up the first design sketches, but the project was abandoned in 1935 without a concept being created. The chassis from the 52 was designed as a ladder frame with a mid-mounted engine and the drivetrain of the Type 22 was used, the powerful supercharged 4.4 litre, 16-cylinder with around 150 kW and 436 Nm of torque and it could hit 200 km/h. Using surviving archive documents, Audi commissioned Crosthwaite & Gardner to build the Auto Union Type 52 and it was finally completed in 2023. All components were custom-made and handcrafted specifically for the model. This street version was more suitable for everyday driving thanks an overhead roof, headlights, room for luggage and two spare tyres. The driver sits in the middle, with the rear passenger seats slightly offset to the side.

The engine, transmission, and open 5-speed gearbox were taken from the Grand Prix car, but instead of a combination of transverse leaf springs and friction dampers, the Type 52 uses longitudinal torsion spring suspension in combination with hydraulic dampers. A larger tank fuel tank was positioned directly behind the driver to give an ideal weight distribution. During the build, Audi Tradition and Crosthwaite & Gardiner were in constant communication. “One insight that came out of our intensive exchange is that the developers in the 1930s would probably have had to adjust some of the technical details in the course of testing, too. Similarly, we had to lengthen the Auto Union Type 52’s wheelbase compared to the original design documents because it was technically unavoidable in combination with other components such as the front suspension, engine, steering, and transmission. The interior is inspired by the Auto Union Grand Prix race cars, with a modern interpretation of colors and fabrics.” says Timo Witt, Head of Audi’s historical vehicle collection. None of the documents specified the colour the car would have had, so Audi Tradition chose Cellulose Silver based on the racecar. Audi decided to deviate from the designers’ original plan so they used the 16-cylinder engine from the Auto Union Type C and its output was not restricted to the Type 52 and it runs on a special methanol mixture. The Auto Union Type 52 was driven at Goodwood by Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen and racing legend Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck. The latter’s father, Hans Stuck, went down in history as the “Hill Climb Champion” for his many victories in Auto Union Grand Prix race cars in the hill climbs popular in the 1930s. Hans-Joachim Stuck, speaking after his first test drive in the Auto Union Type 52: “When I occasionally drive the Auto Union Type C, which my father drove in his day, at Audi Tradition events, the excitement and fascination of the motorsport fans is palpable. It is a great honor and pleasure to drive the Auto Union Type 52 at Goodwood for the first time. The Schnellsportwagen is simply breathtaking: Its sound is incredibly sonorous – like it came from an orchestra. And the design of the Auto Union Type 52 will practically blow you away – it’s genius!”

Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off just how damn beautiful classic cars can be, and this monstrous 16-cylinder racecar for the road is just stunning - and all new, but not: 90 Years Later, Audi's V16 Supercar is Finally Built | Auto Union Type 52 | Goodwood FoS 2024 | HSG Automotive

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