Auto Union racing car
Encyclopedia
The Auto Union Grand Prix racing cars
types A to D, were developed and built by a specialist racing department of Horch
works in Zwickau
between 1933 and 1939.
Between 1935 and 1937 Auto Union cars won 25 races, driven by Ernst von Delius
, Tazio Nuvolari
, Bernd Rosemeyer
, Hans Stuck
and Achille Varzi
. Much has been written about the difficult handling characteristics of this car, but its tremendous power and acceleration were undeniable - a driver could induce wheelspin at over 100 mi/h.
The cars throughout their production history were the main Grand Prix protagonists with Mercedes-Benz
, particularly dominant in 1936. The dominance of the Silver Arrows
of both brands was only stopped by the outbreak of World War II
in 1939.
, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
founded Porsche
in Stuttgart
, with engineering colleagues including Karl Rabe
, and financial backing from Adolf Rosenberger
. Unfortunately, car commissions were low in the depressed economic climate, so Porsche founded a subsidiary company Hochleistungs Motor GmbH (High Efficiency Engines Ltd.) in 1932 to develop a racing car, for which he had no customer.
In 1933, Grand Prix racing was dominated by French
and Italian
marques Bugatti
, Alfa Romeo
and Maserati
. In early 1933, governing body AIACR announced a new formula, with the main regulation meant that the weight of the car without driver, fuel, oil, water and tyre was not allowed to exceed 750 kg (1,653.5 lb). This was created to restrict the size of engine that could be used, with the authority estimating that this weight limit would allow around 2.5 litre engines.
Based on Max Wagner's mid-engined 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen, or "Teardrop" aerodynamic design, also built in part by Rumpler engineers, the experimental P-Wagen project racing car (P stood for Porsche) was designed according to the regulations of the 750 kg formula. On November 15 chief engineer Rabe submitted the first draft to the planning office of a racing car for the new formula, with Josef Kales responsible for the V16 engine
, while Rabe also held responsibility for the chassis.
was formed, comprising struggling auto manufacturers Audi
, DKW
, Horch
and Wanderer
. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Baron Klaus von Oertzen
wanted a show piece project, so at fellow director's Adolf Rosenberger insistence, von Oertzen met with Porsche, who had done work for him before.
At the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler
announced two new programs:
German racing driver Hans Stuck
had met Hitler before he became Chancellor, and not being able to gain a seat at Mercedes, accepted the invitation of Rosenberger to join him, von Oertzen, and Porsche in approaching the Chancellor. In a meeting in the Reich Chancellory, Hitler agreed with Porsche that for the glory of Germany, it would be better for two companies to develop the project, resulting in Hitler agreeing to pay ₤
40,000 for the country's best racing car of 1934, as well as an annual stipend of 250,000 Reichmarks (₤20,000) each for Mercedes and Auto Union. (In time, this would climb to ₤250,000.) This highly annoyed Mercedes, who had already developed their Mercedes-Benz W25
, which nevertheless was gratified, its racing program having financial difficulties since 1931. It resulted in a heated exchange both on and off the racing track between the two companies for until World War Two.
Having garnered state funds, Auto Union bought Hochleistungs Motor GmbH and hence the P-Wagen Project for 75,000 Reichsmarks, relocating the company to Chemnitz
.
The problem with mid-engined design at the time was the stiffness of the contemporary ladder chassis and suspension
, which resulted in a pronounced change in turning angle as the momentum of the centrally mounted engined changed on the chassis, and resulted in the car oversteering. The suspension was all-independent, using parallel trailing arm
s and torsion bars at the front, while at the rear Porsche tried to counter the natural oversteer tendency with the use of a then advanced swing
half-axle rear suspension. It was only on the later Type D that the rear suspension would be replaced with a de Dion
system, following the lead of Mercedes-Benz
, but by then it was too late to do anything about the poor handling reputation the cars had gained.
The cars used supercharged engines that eventually produced almost 550 horsepower
(which also contributed toward the handling difficulties, as it promoted oversteer which the cars already had in abundance). The engine was originally the V16 engine
that Porsche had started designing earlier; when, starting in 1938, the maximum engine displacement
for Grand Prix cars was limited to 3 litres for blown engines, it became a V12
. It was originally designed to 6 litre specifications, but would start at 4,360 cc and 295 bhp. It had two cylinder blocks, inclined at an angle of 45 degrees, with a single overhead camshaft to operate all 32 valves. The cylinder heads were hemispherical, with the intake valves on the inside, directly connected to the camshaft through rocker arms. The rocker arms of the exhaust valves were connected to the camshaft by pushrods that passed through tubes situated above the spark plugs; thus the engine had three valve covers. The engine was designed to provide optimum torque at low engine speeds, with Bernd Rosemeyer
later driving a car around the Nürburgring
in a single gear, to prove the engine was flexible enough to do it.
The body was subjected to strenuous testing in the wind tunnel of the German Institute for Aerodynamics
, a scientific organization that still exists. The fuel tank was located in the centre of the car, directly behind the driver, so that the car's front-rear weight distribution would remain unchanged as the fuel was used: exactly the same location used in modern open-wheel racing cars, and for the same reason. The chassis tubes were initially used as water carriers from the radiator to the engine, but this was eventually abandoned after they often sprung small leaks.
works. The first cars ran in the winter 1933/34, on the Nürburgring
, AVUS
and Monza
. Further development was stopped completely in 1942.
As Mercedes had former racing driver turned designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut
, who could provide excellent feedback on the car and required developments; Auto Union were forced to create in-car measuring systems to provide additional feedback. Auto Union used clockwork
mechanism and a paper disc to record data such as engine revs while the car was being tested, allowing the engineers to study the collected data at a later date. It was found that additional work was needed on the car's cornering behaviour, as when accelerating out of a corner would cause the inside rear wheel to spin furiously. This was much abated by the use of a Porsche innovation, a ZF manufactured limited slip differential
, introduced at the end of the 1935 season.
After the development of the Type A, Ferdinand Porsche became focused on development of the factory facilities for production of the Volkswagen Beetle at Wolfsburg
, handing over his daily role to his son Ferry. The co-operation between Porsche and Auto Union continued through Types A, B and C until the 750 kg formula ended in 1937, as engineering developments had resulted in huge engines in lightweight vehicles creating great horsepower, and hence high speeds and excessive accidents. Dr. Ing. Robert Eberan von Eberhorst was responsible for the new Type D car, which while still retaining the 750 kg weight limit, also restricted capacity to 3Litre with a compressor, or 4.5Litres without. The Type D deployed a 12 cylinder engine
, while the hill climbing versions of the Type D where the capacity limit was not enforced used a changed gearbox and final drive to retain the 16-cylinder engine of the Type C.
The list of drivers for the initial 1934 season was headed by Hans Stuck
; he won the German
, Swiss
and Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
races (as well as finishing second in the Italian
and Eifel Grands Prix), along with wins in a number of hill-climb races, becoming European Mountain Champion. (There was no European Championship
for the circuit races that year, or he would have won that too). August Momberger placed second in the Swiss Grand Prix.
In 1935, the engine had been enlarged to five litres displacement, producing 370 bhp. Achille Varzi
joined the team and won the Tunis Grand Prix and the Coppa Acerbo
(along with placing second in the Tripoli Grand Prix
). Stuck won the Italian Grand Prix (along with second at the German Grand Prix), plus his usual collection of hill-climb wins, again taking the European Mountain Championship. The new sensation, Bernd Rosemeyer
, won the Czech Grand Prix (and managed a second at the Eifel Grand Prix and Coppa Acerbo).
Hans Stuck also managed to break speed records, reaching 199 mi/h on an Italian autostrada in a streamlined car with enclosed cockpit. Lessons learned from this streamlining were later applied to the T80
land speed record car.
For 1936, the engine had grown to the full 6 litres, and was now producing 520 bhp; in the hands of Rosemeyer and his team-mates, the Auto Union Type C dominated the racing world. Rosemeyer won the Eifelrennen
, German, Swiss and Italian Grands Prix and the Coppa Acerbo (as well as second in the Hungarian Grand Prix
). He was crowned European Champion (Auto Union's only win of the driver's championship), and for good measure also took the European Mountain Championship. Varzi won the Tripoli Grand Prix (and took second at the Monaco
, Milan and Swiss Grands Prix). Stuck placed second in the Tripoli and German Grands Prix, and Ernst von Delius
took second in the Coppa Acerbo.
In 1937, the car was basically unchanged and did surprisingly well against the new Mercedes-Benz W125
, winning 5 races to the 7 of Mercedes-Benz. Rosemeyer took the Eifel and Donington Grands Prix, the Coppa Acerbo, and the Vanderbilt Cup
(and well as second in the Tripoli Grand Prix). Rudolf Hasse
won the Belgian Grand Prix
(Stuck placed second). von Delius managed second in the Avus Grand Prix.
In addition to the new 3-litre formula, 1938 brought other challenges, principally the death of Rosemeyer early in the year, in an attempt on the land speed record
. The famed Tazio Nuvolari
joined the team, and won the Italian and Donington Grands Prix, in what was otherwise a thin year for the team, other than yet another European Mountain Championship for Stuck.
In 1939, as war clouds gathered over Europe, Nuvolari won the Yugoslavia Grand Prix
in Belgrade (with a second place in the Eifel). Hermann P. Müller
won the 1939 French Grand Prix
(and took second in the German Grand Prix). Hasse managed a second place in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix
, and Georg Meier
a second in the French.
Very rarely were racing cars of the period kept, as components of early cars if required were scavenged for later models and repairs. Secondly, what did remain was often scrapped to provide funds for additional development.
During the latter part of World War II
, an estimated eighteen Auto Union team cars were hidden in a colliery outside Zwickau
, Saxony
, where the Auto Union race shop was based. In 1945 the invading Russian Army
discovered the cars, and they were retained as war possessions. As Zwickau post-war was located in Soviet controlled Communist East Germany, what little of the Auto Union racing cars existed were shipped back to the Soviet Union
, distributed to scientific institutes and motor manufacturers including NAMI
for research.
Today, it is believed that most of the cars were probably reduced to scrap, and that no Type A or Type B cars exist today. Presently it is believed that only one Type C and three Type D cars, and a Type C/D hill climbing car remain.
The sole remaining Type C was originally left to a German museum by Auto Union, after the death of Bernd Rosemeyer
resulted in only two or three of these historic cars running. Damaged by bombing during the war, its body today still shows these marks. In 1979/80, Audi
commissioned restoration of the car, undertaking a preservation-level overhaul to the body, engine and transmission.
A Type D car was recovered and taken to Moscow
to study its technology. In 1976, the car was at the ZIL
factory in Moscow and scheduled to be cut up for scrap metal, but Viktors Kulbergs, president of Antique Automobile Club of Latvia, brought it to Riga Motor Museum
.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a 16cylinder hill climbing car - a combination of types C and D - was discovered in Riga
by Audi engineers. In exchange for providing Riga Motor Museum with an exact replica, in 1997 Audi commissioned British
engineering companies Crostwaite & Gardiner of Buxted
and Roach Manufacturing of Ower
to undertake the work. The replica car was unveiled at the 2007 Festival of Speed
at Goodwood House
, England, with Pink Floyd
drummer Nick Mason
as driver. The original now resides in the Audi Motor Museum, and tours the major car shows, driven by Hans Stuck Jr., son of the original driver Hans Stuck, a long-time Audi race driver himself; the replica is on display in Riga
.
American
car enthusiast Paul Karassik tracked down chassis No.19 in Russia, adding an original engine from a separate D-type carcass and handing it over in 1990 to Crosthwaite and Gardiner to restore to its original form. In February 2007, it was due to be auctioned by Christie's
in Paris. Although expected to be the most expensive car ever sold at auction at more than $12 million, the car did not find a buyer in the sealed auction. This was because of a discrepancy that was found with the chassis and engine numbers and the fact that they did not correspond with the numbers expected to be found on the car that it was believed to be. The car went on auction
in August 2009, with Bonhams
estimating a sale price of around £5.5million. During Bonhams 2009 Monterey auction, the bidding stalled at $6 million, and the vehicle was not sold.
. This was 63 years after its premier at AVUS in May 1937, when Bernd Rosemeyer took a car of this type to a speed of 380 kilometre per hour on the straights. Now resident in the Audi Mobile museum in Ingelstadt, the car has appeared at various autoshows around the world, including the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed
commemorating Audi's 100th birthday.
In 2004, Audi announced the rebuilt of Auto Union Wanderer Streamline Specials. The three cars were built by European car restorer Werner Zinke GmbH. As part of the celebration, Audi Tradition commissioned a limited edition 1:43 scale model of the car, bearing the start number 17. The rebuilt cars also entered the Liège-Rome-Liège long distance run 65 years after their original Liège-Rome-Liège runs. Two of the cars, owned by Audi Tradition, went on display in its Museum in Ingolstadt, while the third car is owned by Belgian
Audi importer D’Ieteren.
racer in the German Democratic Republic
, using the talents of chassis designer Otto Seidan and engine designer Walther Träger (both former Auto Union employees), along with spare Auto Union parts and resembled the Type D. As Awtowelo it was successfully tested but never raced.
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
types A to D, were developed and built by a specialist racing department of Horch
Horch
Horch was a car brand manufactured in Germany by August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century.-History at a Glance:The company was established first by August Horch and his first business partner Salli Herz on November 14, 1899 at Ehrenfeld, Cologne. August Horch was a former production...
works in Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
between 1933 and 1939.
Between 1935 and 1937 Auto Union cars won 25 races, driven by Ernst von Delius
Ernst von Delius
Ernst von Delius was a racing driver from Germany.Von Delius died at the age of 25 years old at the Nürburgring Circuit during the 1937 German Grand Prix, having suffered a fatal collision with Richard Seaman....
, Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
, Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer was a German racing driver.- Career :...
, Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck was a German motor racing driver...
and Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer...
. Much has been written about the difficult handling characteristics of this car, but its tremendous power and acceleration were undeniable - a driver could induce wheelspin at over 100 mi/h.
The cars throughout their production history were the main Grand Prix protagonists with Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, particularly dominant in 1936. The dominance of the Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each...
of both brands was only stopped by the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939.
P-Wagen project
Having been made redundant from Steyr AutomobileSteyr automobile
Steyr was an Austrian automotive company from 1915 until 1990.Formed as a branch of Steyr Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft in 1915, to diversify manufacturing, the founders hired 38-year-old designer Hans Ledwinka after he resigned from Nesselsdorfer-Wagenbau...
, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer and honorary Doctor of Engineering. He is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle , the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche automobiles...
founded Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, with engineering colleagues including Karl Rabe
Karl Rabe
Karl Rabe was an automobile designer and held position of Chief Designer at Porsche. He helped Ferdinand Porsche to develop the Porsche's transmissions.-References:...
, and financial backing from Adolf Rosenberger
Adolf Rosenberger
Adolf Rosenberger was a successful businessman who mainly raced Mercedes and Benz cars in the 1920s. His successes and records included wins at Avus, Stuttgart Solitude in 1924 and 1925, the Kasseler Herkules Hillclimb and the Klausenpassrennen...
. Unfortunately, car commissions were low in the depressed economic climate, so Porsche founded a subsidiary company Hochleistungs Motor GmbH (High Efficiency Engines Ltd.) in 1932 to develop a racing car, for which he had no customer.
In 1933, Grand Prix racing was dominated by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
marques Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
, Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
. In early 1933, governing body AIACR announced a new formula, with the main regulation meant that the weight of the car without driver, fuel, oil, water and tyre was not allowed to exceed 750 kg (1,653.5 lb). This was created to restrict the size of engine that could be used, with the authority estimating that this weight limit would allow around 2.5 litre engines.
Based on Max Wagner's mid-engined 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen, or "Teardrop" aerodynamic design, also built in part by Rumpler engineers, the experimental P-Wagen project racing car (P stood for Porsche) was designed according to the regulations of the 750 kg formula. On November 15 chief engineer Rabe submitted the first draft to the planning office of a racing car for the new formula, with Josef Kales responsible for the V16 engine
V16 engine
A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder...
, while Rabe also held responsibility for the chassis.
Auto Union
In 1932 Auto Union GmbhAuto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
was formed, comprising struggling auto manufacturers Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
, DKW
DKW
DKW is a historic German car and motorcycle marque. The name derives from Dampf-Kraft-Wagen .In 1916, the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen founded a factory in Zschopau, Saxony, Germany, to produce steam fittings. In the same year, he attempted to produce a steam-driven car, called the DKW...
, Horch
Horch
Horch was a car brand manufactured in Germany by August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century.-History at a Glance:The company was established first by August Horch and his first business partner Salli Herz on November 14, 1899 at Ehrenfeld, Cologne. August Horch was a former production...
and Wanderer
Wanderer (car)
Wanderer was a German manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, vans and other machinery. Established as Winklhofer & Jaenicke in 1896, the company used the Wanderer brand name from 1911, making civilian automobiles until 1941 and military vehicles until 1945.-History:Winklhofer &...
. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Baron Klaus von Oertzen
Klaus von Oertzen
Baron Claus-Detlof von Oertzen was involved in the motor industry for most of his long life and is sometimes referred to as the “Father of Volkswagen of South Africa”....
wanted a show piece project, so at fellow director's Adolf Rosenberger insistence, von Oertzen met with Porsche, who had done work for him before.
At the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
announced two new programs:
- The people's car: a project that would eventually become the KdF-wagenVolkswagen BeetleThe Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
- A state-sponsored motor racing programme: to develop a "high speed German automotive industry," the foundation of which would be an annual sum of 500,000 Reichmarks to Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
German racing driver Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck was a German motor racing driver...
had met Hitler before he became Chancellor, and not being able to gain a seat at Mercedes, accepted the invitation of Rosenberger to join him, von Oertzen, and Porsche in approaching the Chancellor. In a meeting in the Reich Chancellory, Hitler agreed with Porsche that for the glory of Germany, it would be better for two companies to develop the project, resulting in Hitler agreeing to pay ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
40,000 for the country's best racing car of 1934, as well as an annual stipend of 250,000 Reichmarks (₤20,000) each for Mercedes and Auto Union. (In time, this would climb to ₤250,000.) This highly annoyed Mercedes, who had already developed their Mercedes-Benz W25
Mercedes-Benz W25
The Mercedes-Benz W25 was a Grand Prix racing car designed by Daimler-Benz AG for the 1934 Grand Prix season, in which new rules were introduced, and no championship was held. In 1935, the European Championship was resumed, and it was won by Rudolf Caracciola in a W25...
, which nevertheless was gratified, its racing program having financial difficulties since 1931. It resulted in a heated exchange both on and off the racing track between the two companies for until World War Two.
Having garnered state funds, Auto Union bought Hochleistungs Motor GmbH and hence the P-Wagen Project for 75,000 Reichsmarks, relocating the company to Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
.
Design
The layout of the car was unusual for the time, being mid-engined, years before the Cooper T53 rediscovered the advantages. Hence, the layout of the car front to rear was: radiator; driver; fuel tank; engine.The problem with mid-engined design at the time was the stiffness of the contemporary ladder chassis and suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
, which resulted in a pronounced change in turning angle as the momentum of the centrally mounted engined changed on the chassis, and resulted in the car oversteering. The suspension was all-independent, using parallel trailing arm
Trailing arm
thumb|220px|Trailing arm rear suspension of [[Front-engine, front-wheel drive layout|FF]] carsA trailing-arm suspension is an automobile suspension design in which one or more arms are connected between the axle and the chassis. It is usually used on rear axles...
s and torsion bars at the front, while at the rear Porsche tried to counter the natural oversteer tendency with the use of a then advanced swing
Swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent suspension first used in early aircraft , such as the Sopwith and Fokker, usually with rubber bungee and no damping....
half-axle rear suspension. It was only on the later Type D that the rear suspension would be replaced with a de Dion
De Dion tube
A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a...
system, following the lead of Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, but by then it was too late to do anything about the poor handling reputation the cars had gained.
The cars used supercharged engines that eventually produced almost 550 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(which also contributed toward the handling difficulties, as it promoted oversteer which the cars already had in abundance). The engine was originally the V16 engine
V16 engine
A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder...
that Porsche had started designing earlier; when, starting in 1938, the maximum engine displacement
Engine displacement
Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
for Grand Prix cars was limited to 3 litres for blown engines, it became a V12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
. It was originally designed to 6 litre specifications, but would start at 4,360 cc and 295 bhp. It had two cylinder blocks, inclined at an angle of 45 degrees, with a single overhead camshaft to operate all 32 valves. The cylinder heads were hemispherical, with the intake valves on the inside, directly connected to the camshaft through rocker arms. The rocker arms of the exhaust valves were connected to the camshaft by pushrods that passed through tubes situated above the spark plugs; thus the engine had three valve covers. The engine was designed to provide optimum torque at low engine speeds, with Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer was a German racing driver.- Career :...
later driving a car around the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
in a single gear, to prove the engine was flexible enough to do it.
The body was subjected to strenuous testing in the wind tunnel of the German Institute for Aerodynamics
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
, a scientific organization that still exists. The fuel tank was located in the centre of the car, directly behind the driver, so that the car's front-rear weight distribution would remain unchanged as the fuel was used: exactly the same location used in modern open-wheel racing cars, and for the same reason. The chassis tubes were initially used as water carriers from the radiator to the engine, but this was eventually abandoned after they often sprung small leaks.
Development
The development of Auto Union racing cars began 1933 by specialists of HorchHorch
Horch was a car brand manufactured in Germany by August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century.-History at a Glance:The company was established first by August Horch and his first business partner Salli Herz on November 14, 1899 at Ehrenfeld, Cologne. August Horch was a former production...
works. The first cars ran in the winter 1933/34, on the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
, AVUS
AVUS
The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as...
and Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
. Further development was stopped completely in 1942.
As Mercedes had former racing driver turned designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut
Rudolf Uhlenhaut
Rudolf Uhlenhaut , was an Anglo-German engineer and executive for Mercedes-Benz...
, who could provide excellent feedback on the car and required developments; Auto Union were forced to create in-car measuring systems to provide additional feedback. Auto Union used clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
mechanism and a paper disc to record data such as engine revs while the car was being tested, allowing the engineers to study the collected data at a later date. It was found that additional work was needed on the car's cornering behaviour, as when accelerating out of a corner would cause the inside rear wheel to spin furiously. This was much abated by the use of a Porsche innovation, a ZF manufactured limited slip differential
Limited slip differential
A limited slip differential is a type of differential gear arrangement that allows for some difference in angular velocity of the output shafts, but imposes a mechanical bound on the disparity...
, introduced at the end of the 1935 season.
After the development of the Type A, Ferdinand Porsche became focused on development of the factory facilities for production of the Volkswagen Beetle at Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, handing over his daily role to his son Ferry. The co-operation between Porsche and Auto Union continued through Types A, B and C until the 750 kg formula ended in 1937, as engineering developments had resulted in huge engines in lightweight vehicles creating great horsepower, and hence high speeds and excessive accidents. Dr. Ing. Robert Eberan von Eberhorst was responsible for the new Type D car, which while still retaining the 750 kg weight limit, also restricted capacity to 3Litre with a compressor, or 4.5Litres without. The Type D deployed a 12 cylinder engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, while the hill climbing versions of the Type D where the capacity limit was not enforced used a changed gearbox and final drive to retain the 16-cylinder engine of the Type C.
Racing results
This section only includes results of second or better.The list of drivers for the initial 1934 season was headed by Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck was a German motor racing driver...
; he won the German
German Grand Prix
The German Grand Prix is an annual automobile race.Because Germany was banned from taking part in international events after World War II, the German GP only became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951...
, Swiss
Swiss Grand Prix
The Swiss Grand Prix was the premier auto race of Switzerland. In its later years it was a Formula One race....
and Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event first held on September 28, 1930 at the Masaryk Circuit now referred to as the Brno Circuit. It was held in the town of Brno in Czechoslovakia .From 1934 onwards, the race was dominated by the German Silver Arrows...
races (as well as finishing second in the Italian
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
and Eifel Grands Prix), along with wins in a number of hill-climb races, becoming European Mountain Champion. (There was no European Championship
European Championship (auto racing)
The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950...
for the circuit races that year, or he would have won that too). August Momberger placed second in the Swiss Grand Prix.
In 1935, the engine had been enlarged to five litres displacement, producing 370 bhp. Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer...
joined the team and won the Tunis Grand Prix and the Coppa Acerbo
Coppa Acerbo
The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also...
(along with placing second in the Tripoli Grand Prix
Tripoli Grand Prix
The Tripoli Grand Prix was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania...
). Stuck won the Italian Grand Prix (along with second at the German Grand Prix), plus his usual collection of hill-climb wins, again taking the European Mountain Championship. The new sensation, Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer was a German racing driver.- Career :...
, won the Czech Grand Prix (and managed a second at the Eifel Grand Prix and Coppa Acerbo).
Mercedes-Benz T80
- External links :**, lists cars that attempted to break the land speed record from 1934 to 1940, including the T80.* at official website of European Car....
land speed record car.
For 1936, the engine had grown to the full 6 litres, and was now producing 520 bhp; in the hands of Rosemeyer and his team-mates, the Auto Union Type C dominated the racing world. Rosemeyer won the Eifelrennen
Eifelrennen
The ADAC Eifelrennen was an annual motor race, organised by ADAC Automobile Club from 1922 to 2003, held in Germany's Eifel mountain region even before the Nürburgring was built there.- History :...
, German, Swiss and Italian Grands Prix and the Coppa Acerbo (as well as second in the Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungarian Grand Prix
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on June 21, 1936 over a track laid out in Népliget, a park in Budapest. The Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, and Ferrari teams all sent three cars and the event drew a very large crowd...
). He was crowned European Champion (Auto Union's only win of the driver's championship), and for good measure also took the European Mountain Championship. Varzi won the Tripoli Grand Prix (and took second at the Monaco
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
, Milan and Swiss Grands Prix). Stuck placed second in the Tripoli and German Grands Prix, and Ernst von Delius
Ernst von Delius
Ernst von Delius was a racing driver from Germany.Von Delius died at the age of 25 years old at the Nürburgring Circuit during the 1937 German Grand Prix, having suffered a fatal collision with Richard Seaman....
took second in the Coppa Acerbo.
In 1937, the car was basically unchanged and did surprisingly well against the new Mercedes-Benz W125
Mercedes-Benz W125
The Mercedes-Benz W125 was a Grand Prix racing car designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut to race during the 1937 Grand Prix season. The car was used by Rudolf Caracciola to win the 1937 European Championship and W125 drivers also finished in the second, third and fourth positions in the championship.The...
, winning 5 races to the 7 of Mercedes-Benz. Rosemeyer took the Eifel and Donington Grands Prix, the Coppa Acerbo, and the Vanderbilt Cup
Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...
(and well as second in the Tripoli Grand Prix). Rudolf Hasse
Rudolf Hasse
Rudolf Hasse was a famous German racing driver.Hasse was born in Mittweida, Saxony, and died while serving on the Russian front during World War II, aged only 36. He won the 1937 Belgian Grand Prix....
won the Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship....
(Stuck placed second). von Delius managed second in the Avus Grand Prix.
In addition to the new 3-litre formula, 1938 brought other challenges, principally the death of Rosemeyer early in the year, in an attempt on the land speed record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
. The famed Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
joined the team, and won the Italian and Donington Grands Prix, in what was otherwise a thin year for the team, other than yet another European Mountain Championship for Stuck.
In 1939, as war clouds gathered over Europe, Nuvolari won the Yugoslavia Grand Prix
1939 Belgrade City Race
The 1939 Belgrade City Race was a Grand Prix motor race held on September 3, 1939 at the streets of Belgrade.-Classification:-References:**...
in Belgrade (with a second place in the Eifel). Hermann P. Müller
Hermann Paul Müller
Hermann Paul Müller was a German sidecar, motorcycle, and race car driver....
won the 1939 French Grand Prix
1939 French Grand Prix
The 1939 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 9, 1939.-Classification:...
(and took second in the German Grand Prix). Hasse managed a second place in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix
1939 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1939 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on June 25, 1939 at Spa-Francorchamps.Richard Seaman crashed at the La Source hairpin into a tree, causing the fuel line to break. Fuel rushed over the car and the car caught fire. Seaman couldn't move because his right hand was broken...
, and Georg Meier
Georg Meier
Georg Meier was a German motorcycle racer famous for being the first foreign winner of the prestigious Senior TT the Blue Riband race of the Isle of Man TT Races in 1939 riding for the factory BMW team and the first motor-cycle racer to lap a Grand Prix course at over 100mph.-Biography:Meier was...
a second in the French.
Cars today
During the latter part of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, an estimated eighteen Auto Union team cars were hidden in a colliery outside Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, where the Auto Union race shop was based. In 1945 the invading Russian Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
discovered the cars, and they were retained as war possessions. As Zwickau post-war was located in Soviet controlled Communist East Germany, what little of the Auto Union racing cars existed were shipped back to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, distributed to scientific institutes and motor manufacturers including NAMI
Nami
-Surname:* Ahmed al-Nami , Saudi hijacker of United Airlines Flight 93* Arsi Nami , Iranian singer* Kazutsugi Nami, Japanese businessman* Mohammad Nami, Saudi footballer-Fictional characters:...
for research.
Today, it is believed that most of the cars were probably reduced to scrap, and that no Type A or Type B cars exist today. Presently it is believed that only one Type C and three Type D cars, and a Type C/D hill climbing car remain.
The sole remaining Type C was originally left to a German museum by Auto Union, after the death of Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer was a German racing driver.- Career :...
resulted in only two or three of these historic cars running. Damaged by bombing during the war, its body today still shows these marks. In 1979/80, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
commissioned restoration of the car, undertaking a preservation-level overhaul to the body, engine and transmission.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to study its technology. In 1976, the car was at the ZIL
Zavod Imeni Likhacheva
Zavod imeni Likhachova, more commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosani...
factory in Moscow and scheduled to be cut up for scrap metal, but Viktors Kulbergs, president of Antique Automobile Club of Latvia, brought it to Riga Motor Museum
Riga Motor Museum
Riga Motor Museum is the biggest antique vehicle museum in the Baltic countries. The museum is a state agency operating under the Transport Ministry...
.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a 16cylinder hill climbing car - a combination of types C and D - was discovered in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
by Audi engineers. In exchange for providing Riga Motor Museum with an exact replica, in 1997 Audi commissioned British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineering companies Crostwaite & Gardiner of Buxted
Buxted
Buxted is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex in England. The parish is situated on the Weald, north of Uckfield; the settlements of Five Ash Down, Heron's Ghyll and High Hurstwood are included within its boundaries...
and Roach Manufacturing of Ower
Ower
Ower is a hamlet in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest towns are Totton – approximately to the southeast, and Romsey – approximately to the north-east....
to undertake the work. The replica car was unveiled at the 2007 Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
at Goodwood House
Goodwood House
Goodwood House is a country house in West Sussex in southern England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Richmond. Several architects have contributed to the design of the house, including James Wyatt. It was the intention to build the house to a unique octagonal layout, but only three of the eight...
, England, with Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
drummer Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
as driver. The original now resides in the Audi Motor Museum, and tours the major car shows, driven by Hans Stuck Jr., son of the original driver Hans Stuck, a long-time Audi race driver himself; the replica is on display in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
.
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
car enthusiast Paul Karassik tracked down chassis No.19 in Russia, adding an original engine from a separate D-type carcass and handing it over in 1990 to Crosthwaite and Gardiner to restore to its original form. In February 2007, it was due to be auctioned by Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in Paris. Although expected to be the most expensive car ever sold at auction at more than $12 million, the car did not find a buyer in the sealed auction. This was because of a discrepancy that was found with the chassis and engine numbers and the fact that they did not correspond with the numbers expected to be found on the car that it was believed to be. The car went on auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in August 2009, with Bonhams
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
estimating a sale price of around £5.5million. During Bonhams 2009 Monterey auction, the bidding stalled at $6 million, and the vehicle was not sold.
Replicas
For 2000, Audi commissioned a Type C Streamline, which in May 2000 raced around the banked curve of the famous French circuit at MontlhéryMontlhéry
Montlhéry is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.-History:...
. This was 63 years after its premier at AVUS in May 1937, when Bernd Rosemeyer took a car of this type to a speed of 380 kilometre per hour on the straights. Now resident in the Audi Mobile museum in Ingelstadt, the car has appeared at various autoshows around the world, including the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
commemorating Audi's 100th birthday.
In 2004, Audi announced the rebuilt of Auto Union Wanderer Streamline Specials. The three cars were built by European car restorer Werner Zinke GmbH. As part of the celebration, Audi Tradition commissioned a limited edition 1:43 scale model of the car, bearing the start number 17. The rebuilt cars also entered the Liège-Rome-Liège long distance run 65 years after their original Liège-Rome-Liège runs. Two of the cars, owned by Audi Tradition, went on display in its Museum in Ingolstadt, while the third car is owned by Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Audi importer D’Ieteren.
Auto Union clones
In 1947, Automobiltechnisches Büro (ATB) created the Sokol Typ 650 Formula TwoFormula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
racer in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, using the talents of chassis designer Otto Seidan and engine designer Walther Träger (both former Auto Union employees), along with spare Auto Union parts and resembled the Type D. As Awtowelo it was successfully tested but never raced.
Type C pedal car
Audi announced the sale of 999 1:2 scale Auto Union Type C pedal cars. The car was designed at Munich design studio. It features hydraulic dual-disc brake and its speed is controlled by the 7-speed hub gear with back-pedalling brake function. The car was made from aluminium space frame and the aluminium body panels. The seats, framing and steering wheel have been upholstered in leather by a bag-maker, as in the Audi TT, while the spoke wheels were custom-made. The steering wheel can be removed to make getting in and out easier, as in the original. The prototype of the pedal car was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in autumn 2006.Type D concept
2008 Audi Type-D concept was designed by Czech Republic designer Lukas Vanek. The engine was rated 650 PS. Top speed was estimated 300 kilometre per hour. It includes LED taillight strip, exposed carbon fibre centre spine, and carbon fibre rear spoiler under the tail.Technical details
| Auto Union Racing Cars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| characteristic | Type A (1934) | Type B (1935) | Type C (1936–37) | Type D (1938) |
| engine orientation | longitudinal Longitudinal engine In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back.... |
longitudinal | longitudinal | longitudinal |
| engine configuration Engine configuration Engine configuration is an engineering term for the layout of the major components of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. These components are the cylinders and crankshafts in particular but also, sometimes, the camshaft.... |
V16 V16 engine A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder... |
V16 | V16 | V12 V12 engine A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
| cylinder bank Cylinder bank Internal combustion piston engines are usually arranged so that the cylinders are in lines parallel to the crankshaft. Where they are in a single line, this is referred to as an inline or straight engine.... angle |
45° | 45° | 45° | 60° |
| engine displacement Engine displacement Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches... |
4358 cc | 4956 cc | 6010 cc | 2990 cc |
| bore x stroke | 72.5 mm (2.85 in) x 75 mm (2.95 in) | 75 mm (2.95 in) x 85 mm (3.35 in) | 65 mm (2.56 in) x 75 mm (2.95 in) | |
| crankshaft Crankshaft The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation... |
one-piece from Cr-Ni steel | one-piece from Cr-Ni steel | slidingstored (Hirth Hirth Göbler-Hirthmotoren GmbH is an aircraft engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany.The company was founded by Hellmuth Hirth in 1920 as Hellmuth Hirth Versuchsbau, renamed Leichtmetall-Werke GmbH and finally Elektronmetall GmbH as a manufacturer of light alloy engine components, including... ) |
roll-stored |
| valvetrain Valvetrain Valvetrain is an all-encompassing term used to describe the mechanisms and parts which control the operation of the valves. A traditional reciprocating internal combustion engine uses valves to control air and fuel flow into and out of the cylinders, facilitating combustion.-Layout:Valvetrain: The... , ignition system |
single camshaft | single camshaft | single camshaft, 2x ignition magnetos | triple camshaft |
| aspiration | 1x Roots supercharger | 1x Roots supercharger | 1 or 2x Roots supercharger | 2x Roots supercharger |
| compressor pressure | 0.61 bars (8.8 psi) | 0.75 bars (10.9 psi) | 0.95 bars (13.8 psi) (max) | 1.67 bars (24.2 psi) |
| motive Motive power In thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a... power Power (physics) In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit... |
295 PS @ 4,500 rpm Revolutions per minute Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis... |
375 PS @ 4,800 rpm | 485 PS @ 5,000 rpm | 485 PS @ 7,000 rpm |
| torque Torque Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist.... |
530 N·m (391 ft·lbf) @ 2,700 rpm | 660 N·m (487 ft·lbf) @ 2,700 rpm | 853 N·m (629 ft·lbf) @ 2,500 rpm | 550 N·m (406 ft·lbf) @ 4,000 rpm |
| transmission gears Transmission (mechanics) A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a... |
5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| maximum speed | 280 km/h (174 mph) | 340 km/h (211 mph) | 340 km/h (211 mph) | |
| brake Brake A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes.... s |
400 mm (15.7 in), system Porsche hydraulic | 400 mm (15.7 in), system Porsche hydraulic | 400 mm (15.7 in), system Porsche hydraulic | 400 mm (15.7 in), system Porsche hydraulic |
| shock absorber Shock absorber A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:... |
friction absorber | friction absorber | friction absorber | front: hydraulic rear: hydraulic/friction |
| front suspension Suspension (vehicle) Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants... |
Crank semi-trailing arm (see Volkswagen Beetle) | Crank semi-trailing arm | ||
| rear suspension | Pendelachse with torsion bar suspension (in the back) | De-Dion-axle De Dion tube A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a... with torsion bar suspension |
||
| chassis Chassis A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the... |
steel tube leader framework, main pipe diameter: 75 mm (3 in) | steel tube leader framework, main pipe diameter: 75 mm (3 in) | steel tube leader framework, main pipe diameter: 75 mm (3 in) | |
| wheelbase Wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel... |
2900 mm (114.2 in) | 2800 mm (110.2 in) | ||
| axle track Axle track The axle track in automobiles and other wheeled vehicles which have two or more wheels on an axle, is the distance between the centreline of two roadwheels on the same axle, each on the other side of the vehicle... width |
1420 mm (55.9 in) | 1390 mm (54.7 in) | ||
| dimensions length × width × height |
3920 mm (154.3 in) × 1690 mm (66.5 in) × 1020 mm (40.2 in) | 4200 mm (165.4 in) × 1660 mm (65.4 in) × 1060 mm (41.7 in) | ||
| fuel capacity | 200 l (422.7 US pt) | |||
| dry weight | 825 kg (1,819 lb) | 825 kg (1,819 lb) | 824 kg (1,817 lb) | 850 kg (1,874 lb) |
| notes | Type D brought about by change of rules | |||
External links
- August Horch Museum Zwickau
- AUTO UNION Sales Brochures 1939
- AutoUnion: the cars, the drivers and the history
- Film of Auto Union winning the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race (VanderbiltCupRaces.com)
- The legendary "Silver Arrows"
- The small workshop that created motor racing history (1931-1935)
- What's left of the Auto Unions?
- THE GOLDEN ERA OF GRAND PRIX RACING - AUTO UNION