Founded in 1932, Auto Union has a rather complex history. The company was founded when several German car manufacturers, the original Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, joined forces and created a single corporate entity to better compete with Mercedes-Benz.
Over the course of its 37-year history, Auto Union became famous for its racing cars, which, like those of its main competitor, were nicknamed “Silver Arrows”.
The company's racing cars dominated Grand Prix racing and set numerous records that took decades to break.
In 1969, Auto Union merged with NSU to create today's Audi, and in homage to the old company, the four-ring logo was retained.
A secret project that aimed to create the fastest road car in the world
Photo: Audi AG
In addition to the iconic racing cars, most of which were developed in collaboration with Ferdinand Porsche's design studio, Auto Union also developed a series of road cars that continued to be sold under the individual brands that merged to form the new company.
However, around 1933, Auto Union and Ferdinand Porsche hatched a plan to produce the world's fastest road-going sports sedan.
According to internal Audi records today, the first sketches for this imaginative project called Type 52 were conceived as early as the end of 1933.
The goal was to combine a modified racing chassis with a supercharged V16 engine to create a powerful, aerodynamic sedan capable of reaching 200 mph (322 km/h) on regular gasoline.
About a year later, the project advanced to the point where a prototype was about to be built. Unfortunately, Germany's involvement in World War II meant that efforts were diverted to military assistance, so the exciting project was shelved in 1935.
Reborn after almost a century
Photo: Audi AG
A few years ago, Audi Tradition, the department responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the brand's historic vehicles, including the still existing Auto Union racing cars, came into possession of the documents of the Tipo 52 and decided to finally bring this spectacular sedan back to life.
The department presented the ambitious project to British classic car experts Crosthwaite & Gardiner, who had previously restored some of the original Auto Union Silver Arrows.
Using all the surviving, astonishingly detailed documents, blueprints and design sketches, the British and their German partners began building the Type 52 Schnellsportwagen (German for fast sports car).
Keeping most of the original design but adding some changes
Photo: Audi AG
While building the ladder-frame chassis, engineers realized that the initial 118-inch (3,000 mm) wheelbase specified in the blueprints needed to be increased to 130.5 inches (3,315 mm) to make room for the front suspension setup, as well as the steering system and powertrain.
In addition, another modification to the original design was the use of longitudinal torsion spring suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers instead of the transverse leaf springs and friction shock absorbers inspired by the Auto Union Type 22 racing car envisaged in the 1930s designs.
For the beautifully streamlined body, the experts at Crosthwaite & Gardiner followed the original sketches in almost every detail. The only thing they changed was the length of the body, which had to match the dimensions of the new wheelbase.
Inside, the Type 52 featured the same cockpit configuration devised by Ferdinand Porsche and Auto Union engineers in the 1930s.
Despite the use of modern fabrics and faux wood finishes, the original style of each element and seating configuration have been maintained.
Incidentally, the interior was designed with the driver's seat and steering wheel mounted centrally, flanked by two slightly staggered passenger seats. The same configuration, developed in the 1930s, was used by McLaren more than half a century later for the cockpit of the legendary F1.
Powered by a classic, race-bred, supercharged V16
Photo: Audi AG
Bugatti made headlines a few months ago when it unveiled its latest hypercar, called the Tourbillon, which ditches the venerable quad-turbo W16 in favor of an all-new Cosworth-designed naturally aspirated V16 that works in conjunction with three electric motors for a total output of 1,775hp.
The Type 52 was also designed to use a mid-engined V16 at a time when this type of engine was Auto Union's specialty. However, that is where the similarities with the Tourbillon unit end.
According to records, the plan was to use a 4.4-liter supercharged V16 borrowed from the 1934 Auto Union Type A racing car. But, for the road-legal super saloon, Auto Union engineers wanted to lower the compression ratio so that regular gasoline could be used.
Therefore, the initial power target was set at a rather mediocre (even for the time) 200 hp, which the engineers believed would be sufficient for the targeted top speed, as the bodywork was designed to be extremely aerodynamically efficient.
The joint team of Crosthwaite & Gardiner and Audi engineers in charge of the relaunched project opted for a different approach.
They chose a larger, 6.0-litre supercharged V16 racing engine originally designed for the 1936 Auto Union Type C.
The downside was that the alternative, while correct for the time, could only run on a special fuel mix that required 50% methanol, 40% super unleaded gasoline, and 10% toluene.
However, the advantage of the larger engine was its greatly improved power output of 512 hp, which would certainly have helped the Type 52 reach its initial target top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h).
Presented to the public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Photo: Audi AG
The ambitious project to transform a 90-year-old stillborn project into a real, working car was completed in 2023.
Audi spent about a year testing and fine-tuning this one-of-a-kind model, which was unveiled to the world last month on the company's official website.
Enthusiasts attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed had the opportunity to see this extraordinary classic car built in a contemporary style in person several hours earlier.
With legendary drivers Tom Kristensen and Hans-Joachim Stuck alternating at the wheel, the fantastic Schnellsportwagen took its first official laps in front of the public.
Despite being delayed by some nine decades in its introduction, the Type 52 received a standing ovation from the public and extensive coverage in the automotive press.
Yes, it's a car based on groundbreaking technology from nearly a century ago, but its fascinating history combined with its timeless beauty make it, in our opinion at least, the most memorable V16-powered car introduced this year.
