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Audi realizes Porsche's long-lost Schnellsportwagen dream after 90 years with a one-off concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024
by Amrit Balraj on July 12, 2024, 06:30Auto Union, which eventually became Audi was formed in 1932 by the conglomeration of four companies - Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. This is how the logo of 4 intertwined rings came to be, each representing a founding member company. Auto Union wanted to build race cars, to quickly establish its credentials as a reputable brand. As luck would have it one of the directors of the company had previously worked with Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, who had helped him develop a prototype racing car known as the P-Wagen (the P stood for Porsche).
The collaboration of Auto Union and Porsche led to the creation of some of the most successful Grand Prix Racing cars of all time, designated as Auto Union A, B, C, and D. The Auto Union Race Cars were rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive cars which dominated the Grand Prix from 1934-1939. Porsche had a vision of a V-16 engine designed by Porsche but was later downgraded to a V-12 in the Type-D cars to comply with new Grand Prix regulations in 1938. The engines in these cars would grow in capacity as the years went by, eventually producing a monumental 520 HP in 1936, thanks to supercharging.
- The P52 (Type 52) was based on the Auto Union Grand Prix racecars
- First conceived in 1933 by Ferdinand Porsche, the project was abandoned in 1935
- Two versions were planned - a coupe and a limousine.
Porsche’s Long Lost Dream From The Pages Of History
As a fierce battle to establish racing superiority between Auto Union and Mercedes was happening on the track, Ferdinand Porsche was dreaming of a road-legal version of the Auto Union Grand Prix racecars. The initial sketch of the P52 was created by Dr. Erwin Komenda, who was the designer of the Auto Union racers. Sticking to its racing roots, the P52 kept the core design elements of a competitive race car. This included a lightweight frame built with double tubes, a crank axle for precise handling in the front, and a swing axle for stability in the rear. The powerful drivetrain was mostly carried over, featuring a substantial 4.4-liter V-16 engine with a supercharger.
| 1936 Auto Union Type C | 1936 Mercedes Benz W25K | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Supercharged V16 | Supercharged Inline-8 |
| Power | 520 HP | 453 HP |
| Transmission | 4-Speed Manual | 4-Speed Manual |
| Curb Weight | 1618 lbs | 1653 lbs |
| Top Speed | 195 MPH | 175 MPH |
This engine was a detuned version of the one used in the race cars and it produced around 200 horsepower, from 295. Had this car gone into production, at the time it would have been the world’s first supercar. The concept was named "Schnellsportwagen", which translates to "sports wagen". However it sadly never came to be and was assigned to the forgotten pages of history with the project being abandoned in 1935. Historians are not sure why it was abandoned, we can speculate one reason: the P52 never existed at the time could be that Porsche never found any backers for his idea, and after the Second World War began, sports cars became less of a priority for people.
The Forgotten Legend Is Now A Reality
In a surprising move, Audi took the initiative to create the P52 as a one-off concept car, nearly 90 years after it was first conceived. Set to debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival Of Speed (11-14 July) it even features the period-correct engine, a supercharged V-16 engine from an Auto Union Type-C race car. This 6.0-liter V16 engine is good enough to produce 520 HP. This engine runs on a special fuel mixture of 50% methanol, 40% gasoline, and 10% toluene. Audi commissioned British restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Gardner to build the Type 52 based on archived design sketches and documents, which would have included Ferdinand Porsche’s design inputs. As a tribute to the "Silver Arrows" race cars, the car is finished in "Cellulose Silver".
They have also stayed true to his original seating layout with the driver sitting in the center, slightly forward flanked by two passengers on either side. Yes, exactly like the McLaren F1, history’s first hypercar. This was done so that there would be minimal shoulder brushing while the driver went through the motions, another indicator that the Type 52 was ahead of its time. Another unique detail are the suicide door that opens to the rear. For most of us, the only opportunity to see it will be on our screens, so please do not miss out on spotting it on Goodwood’s live stream of the 2024 Festival of Speed.
The Type 52 will be driven at the festival by Audi Ambassador and Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, whose father Hans Stuck senior had the honor of racing for Auto Union in the 1930s. An undertaking of such proportions, especially when the team had the bare minimum to start with, is indeed admirable. From the concept to the fully-fledged car, the Auto Union P52 is the celebration of a vision, that has been carried forward across generations of automobile engineers.
Tom Kristensen said it best "When you are at the startline, remember many hills were conquered getting there." It’s surreal how Porsche was thinking ahead of time, coming up with the idea of a 16-cylinder supercar in the 1930s and ironically, the brand continues to be associated with the format, with the recent unveiling of the V16-powered Bugatti Tourbillion, since Porsche owns a 45% stake in Bugatti-Rimac.
Amrit Balraj
When not reading up or watching videos about obscure and rare automobiles, Amrit spends his free time planning imaginary road trips on some of the best driving roads in the world, preferably in an old truck with a motorcycle strapped to the bed. Read full bio
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