The Auto Union Type 52 was a street-legal supercar concept from the 1930s that has now been revived after 90 years with a 16-cylinder supercharged eng
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Over 90 years ago, the merger of Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer – Auto Union AG – would begin competing in motorsports and come up with the four rings logo that is now a household name. Auto Union would go on to commission the Stuttgart design office of Ferdinand Porsche to develop a race car based on the Grand Prix regulations for 1934-36, and as a result, the Type A was born. It was known internally as the Type 22, and as it went on to create motorsport history, Auto Union and Porsche began work on a secret street-legal sports sedan to be called the Schnellsportwagen.
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Literally meaning ‘fast sports car’, the car was later called the Type 52, and it was intended for people taking part in endurance races like the Le Mans or Spa-Francorchamps. The Type 52 was supposed to have a 4.4-litre 16-cylinder engine mounted behind the driver, and estimates suggest that it would have made approximately 200 bhp. While work began in 1933, the project was scrapped by 1935, a few years before the Second World War. Over 90 years later, Audi is gearing up to bring this special car to life at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Auto Union Type 52: First supercar ever?
The Type 52 was intended as a three-seater sedan with a mid-mounted supercharged 16-cylinder engine. If the project was successful, it would have been the first production car to have the driver’s seat in the middle, beating the Mclaren F1 by quite a margin. Audi commissioned British racecar restoration company – Crosthwaite & Gardner – to revive the Auto Union Type 52 using the original sketches and archival blueprints. After a multi-year project, Crosthwaite & Gardner finished building the Schnellsportwagen in 2023 using completely custom-made and handcrafted components.
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While much of the original documentation were preserved, there was no indication that the model was ever built. Audi states that many files and photographs disappeared after Auto Union AG was dissolved in the Russian occupation zone during WW2. In spite of such drawbacks, Audi and the restorationists were able to bring the concept to life, and in doing so, they had to make several changes to the original plans, some of which were incompatible with the new engine and chassis. The Type 52 was intended to have a 4.4-litre engine that would make 200 bhp, but Audi has generously upgraded the power output to 512 bhp. The company had to make changes to the dimensions of the car, and it resulted in the Type 52 having a slightly wider wheelbase and weighing a little over a hundred kilos more than the original.
On opening the doors, the Type 52 takes one back in time with the old-fashioned seats with cloth upholstery, wood-panelled dashboard and retro gauges. The Auto Union Type 52 will be debuted at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed and will be driven by multiple-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and racing icon Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck. Stuck’s father, Hans Stuck, holds the legacy of being known as the “Hill Climb Champion” for his wins in the Auto Union Type C during the 1930s.
First Published Date: 14 Jul 2024, 08:16 AM IST