Audi dream car conceived in the 1930s, ready for first public showing

As work continues to prepare the F1 Audi power unit for the 2026 Formula 1 Grand Prix championship season, the Audi Tradition division is about to reveal a reminder of Audi’s earliest Grand Prix race cars.

Attendees at the July 11-14 Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England, will have the first public view of a car originally envisioned in the 1930s when Audi Tradition introduces the Auto Union Type 52. Known internally as the Schnellsportwagen, the Type 52 was conceived as a street-legal version of Audi’s 1930s Grand Prix race cars.

The Schnellsportwagen backstory

In 1932, four automakers, Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer, merged to form Auto Union AG. Audi’s four-ring logo represents that merger. Auto Union AG’s participation in motorsports began with developing a race car called the Auto Union Type A to compete in Grand Prix races following new rules in 1932 that defined a 750 kg formula for Grand Prix race cars.

The other Grand Prix race cars had front-mounted engines, but the Type A’s supercharged 16-cylinder motor was behind the driver. The Type A and subsequent Type B and Type C were extremely successful, setting world records and winning Championships and hill climbs. The Mercedes-Benz W 25 race cars were also highly successful. The cars from both German automakers were called Silver Arrows.

Auto Union AG also planned a street-legal car to enter sports car endurance races like Le Mans and long-distance events like the Mille Miglia. The concept paperwork at the time called the street racer the Schnellsportwagen. The designers made several changes to the Grand Prix racing car to reduce the power and allow it to run on regular gas, but the car was never built. Until now.

Audi Traditions commissioned British restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Garnder to build the Auto Union Type 52 using the plans, documents, and design from the 1930s. The project took several years and was finally finished in 2023.

Schnellsportwagen features

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Unlike the Grand Prix cars, the Type 52 has a roof. It also has seating for three people, with the driver in the center and two passengers seated slightly further back. Other changes from the race cars included in the Type 52 are headlights, space for luggage, and two spare tires.

The one-of-a-kind 2023 Auto Union Type 52 has a supercharged 6.0-liter 16-cylinder mid-mounted engine that produces a maximum 513 hp at 4,500 RPM. Unlike the original plans, the Type 52 does not run on regular gasoline but uses a combination of 50% methanol, 40% super unleaded, and 10% toluene.