Audi has unveiled the Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’ at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a GT racer that has foundations in the 1930s ‘Silver Arrows’ era but which was never built – until now.
The name translates as ‘fast sports car’, which it undoubtedly would have been, given that it is a three-seat mid-engined fastback bred from the Auto Union racing cars of the era, drawn up originally by none other than Ferdinand Porsche to be powered by a 200bhp version of the Auto Union Type A’s 4.4-litre V16 engine. The Type A, of course, was driven to a speed record by Hans Stuck on Berlin’s Avus circuit in 1934.
Sadly the Type 52 was not built in period. There had been plans for it to be sold to customers for road-racing in events such as the Mille Miglia or at Le Mans, but although a test car was planned, the project didn’t proceed beyond the drawing board, and it foundered in 1935.
The project began with surviving documents, plans and design sketches
Now, nearly 90 years on, the car has finally been completed following a painstaking and analytical construction process over the past decade, by Audi Tradition in conjunction with British Historic racing car specialist Crosthwaite & Gardiner. The latter, of course, is already renowned for its recreations of Auto Union Silver Arrows racers for Audi’s own collection, which the Type 52 joins.
The project began with surviving documents, plans and design sketches, which included the outlines of the sleek and stunning streamliner coachwork and suggested a ladder-frame chassis and torsion-bar suspension with hydraulic dampers. While a wheelbase of 3.0m was apparent in the sketches, it became evident that a stretch to 3.3m was necessary in order to fit the front suspension, engine, steering and transmission, as well as a central driving position with two passengers set slightly aft, one on each side.
There are wire wheels and drum brakes, as per the Type A, the 29-gallon fuel tank is located under the seats in order to optimise weight distribution whether it’s full or empty, and the interior is inspired by the Grand Prix racers – only with suitably luxurious appointments such as a wooden dash as per the luxurious Horch road cars of that era, a marque that had become part of Auto Union AG in 1932. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is finished in the same silver hue as the Grand Prix cars.
A further development is the fitment of an engine to Type C specification, a supercharged 6.0-litre V16 that runs on methanol to produce a maximum output of 520PS at 4500rpm.
Racing driver Hans-Joachim Stuck, himself a Formula 1, Le Mans and Touring Car veteran, and the son of Silver Arrows racer Hans Stuck, is demonstrating the Type 52 on the Goodwood hillclimb. “The Schnellsportwagen is simply breathtaking,” he said. “Its engine is incredibly sonorous, like the sound of an orchestra. And the design will practically blow you away – it’s genius!”
Stefan Trauf, head of Audi Tradition, added: “For me, it is an absolute dream car. In its day, unfortunately, it remained only a dream – one that we are now able to bring to life.”
