Over the many years there have been many one-off or limited-production automobiles which were misplaced to the sands of time, and plenty of automobiles that have been deliberate for manufacturing however by no means made it there, for varied causes. Some automakers have begun to construct recreations or “continuation automobiles” to fill within the gaps of historical past, and Audi is the most recent to leap within the ring — and with essentially the most spectacular automobile of all. That is the Auto Union Sort 52, a 16-cylinder supercar that was deliberate for manufacturing however by no means really constructed, now absolutely realized by the Audi Custom crew and making its real-life debut on the Goodwood Competition of Pace.
The story begins in 1932, when Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged to kind Auto Union AG. In the identical 12 months, new guidelines for Grand Prix racing have been introduced, to be applied in 1934, and Auto Union set to work on world-beating race automobiles. Whereas Mercedes-Benz’s race automobiles have been front-engine, the Auto Union automobiles have been the primary to make use of a mid-engine structure, and the “Silver Arrow” automobiles from each manufacturers completely dominated.
The primary Auto Union racer was the 1934 Sort A, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and had a large supercharged V16 engine, a setup that was utilized by the next 1935 Sort B and 1936-1937 Sort C, although the Sort D of 1938 and 1939 used a supercharged V12. Regardless of these monstrous racers being unwieldy and onerous to regulate, Auto Union set information and gained plenty of races, together with the European championship in 1936.
What many of the world didn’t find out about till now’s that Auto Union additionally commissioned Porsche to create a supercar primarily based on the Grand Prix automobiles. It was known as the Schnellsportwagen — mainly “quick sports activities automobile” — and it will have used a detuned V16 nabbed from the Grand Prix automobiles mounted in the course of a ladder body. Auto Union meant for the Sort 52 to be purchased by clients who would enter it in cross-country rallies just like the Mille Miglia or endurance races like Le Mans, and the corporate thought of making a manufacturing facility race automobile out of it, too. With 197 horsepower and 322 pound-feet of torque from the 4.4-liter supercharged engine, it will’ve had a high pace of round 124 mph, making it one of many quickest road-legal automobiles of its day.
Porsche’s first sketches of Sort 52 got here on the finish of 1933, and the next 12 months the venture managers have been set to construct a check automobile, however it looks like that by no means occurred. In 1935 the venture was deserted, with the one proof of its existence being paperwork and sketches that have been buried within the Audi and Porsche archives. Audi’s Custom division unearthed the Sort 52’s plans just a few years in the past, commissioning British historic race producer Crosthwaite & Gardner to carry the automobile to life, finishing the Schnellsportwagen final 12 months.
No pictures of the automobile exist and there are not any verified stories from individuals who labored on the venture, so the groups needed to depend on the unique plans and engineering objectives and go from there, which led to numerous technical modifications needing to be made. The wheelbase needed to be lengthened from 118 inches to 130.5 inches to suit the powertrain and suspension, and the 29-gallon gas tank was relocated to beneath the seats, whereas the race automobiles have a bigger tank mounted behind the driving force. Each single element was custom-made and hand-crafted only for this automobile, and the result’s spectacular.
The Sort 52 appears like nothing else within the automotive world, and at over 5 meters lengthy it’s fairly large. Its distinguished entrance fenders, small headlights and enormous grille clearly tie it in with the Auto Union racers, however when you get to the windshield the similarities finish. Its tremendous elongated teardrop form, lined rear fenders and glossy rear deck are gorgeous, and there are tons of attention-grabbing particulars just like the three-pane windshield, recessed oval rear window and bodywork rivets and latches. The plans mentioned nothing about what coloration could be used, so Audi Custom selected Cellulose Silver to match the race automobiles.
All 4 doorways are rear-hinged, however the two rear doorways open to a storage space that holds spare wheels. The Sort 52 has a three-seat cabin with the driving force sitting within the heart and the passengers offset subsequent to them, like in a McLaren F1, and Audi Custom selected colours and materials impressed by the Grand Prix automobiles. There’s a ton of wooden trim, lovely giant gauges and plenty of intricate metallic work, together with the floor-mounted shifter for the 5-speed guide transmission. A big panel on the again of the automobile pops up and ahead to point out off the engine, paired with a rear-hinged panel additional again that opens for baggage area, and it additionally has a pair of side-hinged panels on the hood to entry mechanicals.
In contrast to the unique plans, which noticed the Sort 52 utilizing a 4.4-liter V16 from the Sort A, Audi Custom determined to suit the Sort 52 with a full-fat V16 from an Auto Union Sort C race automobile, with none restrictions on output. To verify it’s suitable with different current Grand Prix automobiles, the supercharged 6.0-liter engine makes use of a gas combine of fifty % methanol, 40 % unleaded and 10 % toluene. The Sort 52 makes 513 horsepower, the identical because the race automobile, however Audi sadly doesn’t make any high pace claims. At 3,197 kilos unladen, the completed Sort 52 is about 330 kilos heavier than the unique plans mentioned, and it makes use of drum brakes in any respect 4 wheels. Whereas the Sort 22 race automobile had transverse leaf springs and friction dampers, the Sort 52 has longitudinal torsion springs with hydraulic dampers.
The Sort 52 made its official debut on the Goodwood Competition of Pace this week, the place it is not going to solely be on show however get pushed up the hill. Hans-Joachim Caught, whose father was a 1930’s hill climb champion in Auto Union automobiles, had this to say in regards to the Sort 52 after a check drive: “The Schnellsportwagen is solely breathtaking: Its sound is extremely sonorous – prefer it got here from an orchestra. And the design of the Auto Union Sort 52 will virtually blow you away – it’s genius!”
