Audi Builds A Super Sedan With 16 Cylinders After 90 Years

Auto Union, formed in 1932 from the merger of Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer, was a force to be reckoned with in racing in the 1930s. One of the silver-coloured automobile rockets with which Auto Union raced around the international circuits was the Type A (Type 22), a racer that was created with the help of none other than Ferdinand Porsche. Auto Union and Ferdinand Porsche even had plans to come up with a road-legal super sedan, a car that was initially referred to as a Schnellsportwagen.  In 1934, there were plans to build a prototype, but it never came to fruition. In 1935, the plug was pulled on the project. Now, some ninety years later, that sleekly designed dream of speed is finally seeing the light of day.

This is the Auto Union Type 52, a car that Audi built based on the original drawings and plans. It has a ladder frame and a mid-engine. Speaking of that engine, the entire drivetrain comes from the aforementioned Type A/22, but in a modified form. According to the original plans, the monster should have had a 200 hp and 436 Nm-strong 4.4-cylinder supercharger. In this now-built example, there is also a machine with sixteen cylinders and a supercharger, but then a 6-litre block that produces 520 hp.

The colossus is 5.39 metres long, 1.78 metres wide, and 1.66 metres high. The wheelbase is 3.32 metres longer than that of the model conceived some ninety years ago (3 metres). The reason is that Audi would not have been able to fit the engine, gearbox, steering, and suspension in it otherwise. The car’s weight is also 1,450 kilos higher than the 1,300 kilos that Auto Union and Ferdinand Porsche aimed for a long time ago. The Schnellwagen offers space for three occupants, two spare wheels, and luggage. The occupants sit three in front, with the driver being allowed to show off his skills in the middle seat, which is positioned further forward.

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