Ingolstadt, March 2010
As Ingolstadt is the home town of the head office and the
production of the Audi AG many of the new owners pick up their
cars directly at the factory. Beside a works visit and the the group
photograph during the receipt of the new family member a visit to
the history of the company has become an important component
of the stay. The significance of the heritage is shown by the fact
that almost every manufacturer has placed its new museum right
to the customer centre.
When visiting the round “Museum Mobile” build in 1999-2000
some visitors less knowledgeable of the companies history might
be surprised to see so many different brands. When taking the
tour through the top floors one can learn the evolution of the
company to the Audi AG we know today.
In 1899 August Horch founded Horch&Cie in Cologne after he
have worked at Carl Benz in Mannheim. The new company moved
twice to settle in Zwickau and build high quality cars. Horch was
a constructor rather than a business man and so he was reliant
on money from the outside and lost authority in its own company.
He left Horch and founded the new Audi company 1910 still in
Zwickau. Audi is the Latin translation of the name Horch (“listen!”
in engl.) and was used instead of the family name whose rights
stayed with the old company. August Horch stayed at Audi until
1920 and in 1928 after further financial problems the company
was sold to DKW, the largest manufacturer of motor bikes in the
world during this period. DKW soon started with the production of
small front driven two-stroke engined cars called “Front” (or F).
In 1932 the four Saxon companies DKW, Audi (already owned by
DKW), Horch and Wanderer merged to the new Auto Union. This
was the first time the four rings appeared in the radiator as a
symbol for the four companies. The cars where still sold under
their own name with the additional Auto Union badge. In this
company the whole range from luxurious cars (Horch), mid class
(Wanderer) and small cars (DKW) was covered. Audi was the
smallest of them.
The new company became famous for their rear engined silver
arrows that dominated together with Mercedes-Benz the grand
prix racing until the outbreak of the war (see below).
After the WWII the surviving resources of the company where
confiscated by the Sowjets as reparation and the company was
liquidated in Chemnitz. Auto Union was re founded in Ingolstadt in
1949 by some employees fled from the Sowjet sector and they
started again the production of two-stroke engined cars based on
the pre-war DKW models. Whereas these models where right for
the early market after the war the 2-stroke technology became
more and more dated in the years of the German
Wirtschaftswunder compared to the competition. Sales
decreased and new money was needed and the company was
sold to Daimler-Benz. But Daimler-Benz did not keep the
company for a long time and so it ended up with the Volkswagen
AG that still owns Audi today. A new model with a four-stroke
engine was introduced in 1965 and the name Audi was used
again to document the difference from the older DWK models. In
1969 another merger led to the Audi NSU Auto Union AG with the
name Audi back in the company´s name. In 1985 the NSU Auto
Union disappeared in the name and the head office came back
from Neckarsulm to Ingolstadt where it still is today. With its
more sportive character the Audi brand became a strong
subsidiary of the Volkswagen AG.
Knowing this it is no surprise to see cars, bikes and motor bikes
named Horch, Wanderer, DKW, NSU, Auto Union and for sure
Audi itself in the permanent exhibition of the museum mobile as
all these brands are part of the heritage of Audi as we know it
today. This permanent exhibition is located on the two top floors
rounding the atrium. Beeing designed as galleries they are
flooded with light though the skylight in the middle of the building
and the large glass front on the outside.
The ground floor is reserved for the changing exhibitions and the
museum shop that connects the museum with the adjoining
restaurant.
The current special exhibition called “Familiensilber” (“Family
Silver”) dedicated to the Silver Arrows of the 30s was the main
reason for our visit.
With the upcoming sense of nationality in the early 1930s the
government forced the idea of a German grand prix car winning
races, both financially and with propaganda. With the lack of an
existing racing department in the new Auto Union company a new
concept was bought from the outside instead of an in-house
development (as Mercedes-Benz did based on their experience
with the SSK in the late 20s). The new car was a revolutionary
design of a mid-engined 16 cylinder grand prix car by Ferdinand
Porsche who ran his own drawing office by this time. The new car
was introduced in 1934 within the new 750 kg formula that limited
the weight of the cars to 750 kg without lubricants and tires.
These regulations last until 1937 before a limit in the engine
displacement ended the 16-cylinder era. The Typ A of 1934
started with a displacement of 4.4 litre and about 300 PS and let
to the final version of the 16-cylinder in the Typ C with more than
6 litre displacement and more than 500 PS. Beside the usual
open wheeled cars special streamlined versions were build for the
high speed tracks, especially the Avus in Berlin. Unfortunately
just one of the early 16-cylinder cars survived and this Typ C is
displayed at the national museum in Munich. Most of the Saxon
Silver Arrows disappeared in the Sowjet Union after the war and
most of them where dismantled and missing. So the Typ A and
the Typ C on the display are perfect reconstructions of the non-
surviving original cars. The streamlined Typ C was also
reconstructed some years ago in England just from pictures.
With the end of the 750kg formula a new car was designed with a
3 litre 12-cylinder called the Typ D for the 1938 season. The new
car was not designed by Ferdinand Porsche who left this project
but by Dr.Eberan von Eberhorst (who worked with Aston Martin
after the war). Furthermore the death of the Auto Union hero
Bernd Rosemeyer during high speed attempts in January 1938
was a deep cut in the young history of the Silver Arrows.
Rosemeyer became European Champion in 1936 with the Typ C
and he was one of the most talented drivers and the German idol
of its time. So another legendary driver of these days was signed
by Auto Union: Tazio Nuvolari.
The Typ D was build in two version with a single and a double
stage supercharger delivering almost the same power as the
earlier cars with just half of the displacement. Two Typ Ds are on
display in Ingolstadt, one unpainted showing the original body.
The last Auto Union displayed is the so called “Bergrennwagen”
(Hill climbing car) that is a hybrid of the Typ C and D. Hill climbs
were very popular these days with an own championship and this
was the preferred terrain of the “Bergkönig” (“King of the Hill”)
Hans Stuck. As the 12-cylinder is smaller than the 16-cylinder
the chassis of the Typ D is shorter than the Typ C chassis. In the
normal grand prix set-up the earlier engine would not fit the Typ D
chassis, but for the smaller distance at a hill climb a smaller fuel
tank could be used and so there is enough room for the 16-
cylinder. So this car is basically a Typ C engine in a Typ D
chassis. To get more traction at the hill this car has twin tires one
the rear, which is possible for the small runs were changing tires
is not needed. The displayed car was in Riga for many years in
non-running condition when it was bought by the Audi Mobile
Tradition and restored by Crosthwaite&Gardiner to former glory. In
this time also a replica was build that is now in Riga instead of
the original car. The displayed Typ C/D might be the most original
survivor of the Auto Union Silver Arrows and therefore is the
centrepiece of the exhibition.
The Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows had a far better life as most of
them are still in the possession of the Mercedes Museum or on
loan in selected museum all over the world. So one could
compare the rear engined Auto Unions with the rivals of their days
as two examples of the 1934 W25 are on display as well. The
open wheeled grand prix car is in restored condition and made its
post-restoration debut last year for the 75th birthday of the Silver
Arrows. The high speed record car based on the same chassis is
in very original condition and is displayed with its body hanging
over the rolling chassis giving a great inside view of the
technology of the 1930s.
The display is rounded off by a W154 that rivalled the Typ D in the
3 litre formula in 1938/39.
The special exhibition will continue over the Ester weekend.
Beside last years Goodwood Festival of Speed there were few
opportunities to see 9 Silver Arrows together in the past so this is
a good reason for a journey to Ingolstadt, even if you do not
collect a new car.
The next special exhibition starting in April will be dedicated to
the history of the Audi quattro
Text & Images - Peter Singhof ... www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
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