Key Takeaways
- Audi reveals the incredible Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’ at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
- The car was originally conceived as a road-going version of the Silver Arrow racers but never made it to production.
- Audi Tradition commissioned the vehicle, which was built from scratch by restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Gardner.
The Auto Union Silver Arrows are among the most celebrated Grand Prix racers of all time. Powered by a sizable 16-cylinder engine, these streamlined machines took on Mercedes-Benz with lightweight bodies and Ferdinand Porsche’s help. While these cars are very well-known, very few people know about the Auto Union Type 52, a road-going version of the race car disguised as a sports sedan.
While the Grand Prix cars were being developed, Auto Union and Ferdinand Porsche were designing the Type 52 at the same time. Envisioned as a sports sedan, the vehicle – known as the Schnellsportwagen (Speed sportscar) – was to be aimed at wealthy customers looking for a car that could easily tackle long-distance and endurance races (like Le Mans or Spa-Francorchamps). Auto Union even had plans to use the vehicle as a factory-backed race car.
Audi
Audi is a German automaker that produces a range of luxury vehicles that combine sporty driving dynamics with the latest technology.. Its history goes back over 100 years and includes both production cars and a rich racing heritage.
- Founded
- 1909
- Founder
- August Horch
- Headquarters
- Ingolstadt, Germany
- Owned By
- Volkswagen Group
- Current CEO
- Gernot Döllner:
So Much Promise, But Abandoned For Some Reason
Towards the end of 1933, Porsche’s design office completed several design sketches, with a final design following a year later. Auto Union project managers were keen on the vehicle and intended to build a prototype. It is unknown whether a test car was ever built, but Audi says the vehicle never materialized. In 1935, the ambitious project was abandoned, with its legacy being the plans left behind by Auto Union and Porsche. Despite appearances, the Type 52 Schnellsportwagen would have borrowed key components from the Type 22 racer, including the 16-cylinder 4.4-liter engine.
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The compression was reduced to allow for the use of regular gasoline. The power figures are still impressive but must have been mind-blowing back then, with outputs of 197 horsepower and 322 lb-ft of torque. The maximum torque was available at just 2,350 rpm. Even though power was reduced compared to the racer, original estimates show the Type 52 would be able to reach a top speed of 124 mph, which would have made it one of the most powerful and fastest cars available at the time. Remember that an Austin 7 from this period had a top speed of 50 mph. The Type 52 has a five-speed manual transmission.
“We are thrilled to present the Auto Union Type 52 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This car gets people excited about design and technology. For me, it is an absolute dream car. In its day, unfortunately, it remained only a dream – one that we are now, 90 years later, able to bring to life. The Auto Union Type 52 demonstrates the ingenuity of its creators and the technological innovation of the time. Being able to experience the Schnellsportwagen live is a great pleasure for me.”
– Stefan Trauf, Head of Audi Tradition
An Incredible Creation That Never Saw The Light Of Day – Until Now
The ladder frame chassis was designed to accommodate a mid-mounted engine, placing the large V16 engine behind the passenger compartment. While vastly different in execution, the modern-day Audi S8 could be considered the spiritual predecessor to the Schnellsportwagen – a large, elegant sedan that can embarrass performance cars.
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Knowing that this incredible creation deserved to come to fruition, Audi called on Crosthwaite & Gardner to build the Type 52. Using nothing but the surviving plans, documents, and sketches, the restoration specialists finished building the car in 2023 after years of work. As initially intended, the Schnellsportwagen can be used daily, with space for three passengers, their luggage, and two spare tires. Like the McLaren F1, the driver sits in the center of the carbon, with the rear passengers offset to either side. With an unladen weight of 2,866 lbs, the Type 52 is lightweight compared to modern-day cars.
Auto Union Type 52 Will Debut At Goodwood Festival Of Speed
The interior is gorgeous, with ivory-colored dials placed in a slab of walnut wood trim. The instrumentation is visible through the large three-spoke steering wheel, while elegant metal finishes for the pedals and gated gear lever look marvelous. While the Type 52 uses the Type 22’s engine and transmission, the suspension setup is very different, using a longitudinal torsion spring suspension with hydraulic dampers. Drum brakes can be found behind the wire wheels.
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Because there was no finished model to copy – and many of Audi’s documents disappeared during World War II – some details were unclear, resulting in Crosthwaite & Gardiner making a few changes. This includes lengthening the wheelbase compared to the original plans to accommodate the mechanical bits. Similarly, the interior was inspired by Auto Union’s old race cars, with a modern spin on the fabrics and colors. The Type 52 will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and be driven by Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck, whose father netted myriad victories behind the wheel of Auto Union’s race cars. It’s fantastic to see Audi honoring its past and shedding light on an unknown vehicle with a remarkable history.
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