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Image credits: © Auto-Union.
1938 Auto-Union Type D news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Chassis Num: 019 |
Ferdinand Porsche had been working for Auto Union prior to the D-Type's development. In a careless attempt at cost cutting, his contract had dropped by Auto Union after 1937. Everything worked out fine for Porsche, who was immediately and happily offered another job by Mercedes-Benz, but Auto Union had lost its best engineer. Nevertheless, Auto Union was able to develop the competitive D-Type for Grand Prix racing in just 18 months.
Another man who had recently and thoughtlessly been let go was skilled driver Hans Stuck. Luckily, Hans Stuck accepted when Auto Union realized his talents were desperately needed in the 1938 season. Stuck took the German Mountain Championship in 1938 as he deftly piloted a D-Type to victories at La Turbie and Grossglockner. After the tragic death of driver Bernd Rosemeyer in 1938, Auto Union hired Tazio Nuvolari. With drivers like Stuck and Nuvolari at the wheels of the D-Types, the success of the cars was almost guaranteed.
Auto Union would not have been content without knowing that its team of skilled drivers was provided with the very best of Teutonic machinery. Accordingly, the D-Type was engineered and built to perfection. To meet new Grand Prix regulations for 1938, the supercharged D-Type was required to have a maximum engine displacement of 3,000cc and a minimum weight of 850kg. In line with all rules, the Auto Union had a dry weight of 850kg and a V12 engine displacing 2,990cc.
The V12 initially produced 420bhp at 7,000rpm, but when a twin-stage supercharger was adopted for the 1939 racing season the output swung up to a spectacular 485bhp at the same engine speed. Though there was never a need to rev much higher than 7,000rpm, the engines were capable of speeds in excess of 10,000rpm. The power plants were remarkable feats by themselves, and their mid-mounted placement in the D-Type chassis offered impressive handling characteristics. A transaxle was linked directly to the rear of the engine.
Further aiding the handling of the mid-engined D-Type was its use of a De Dion rear axle to replace a rear swing arm suspension. Dated shock absorber technology was employed from the beginning, but hydraulic dampers were adopted later to improve the car's already excellent on-track driving characteristics. Even the fuel placement was optimized to provide precise handling. Stored low to the ground in tanks within the D-Type's wheelbase, fuel acted as a stabilizing ballast that kept the center of gravity low and the weight distribution good.
In 1939, 11 D-Types were raced. Second place finishes were attained by Nuvolari in the EifelRennen and by another driver at the Belgian Grand Prix. A 1-2 finish was realized at Reims-Gueux in France. The D-Types saw their final races in 1939. After that, the ensuing war halted all such activities as the world struggled through some of the most difficult and trying years it had ever known.
As nations slowly rebuilt and recovered after World War II, there wasn't exactly a great rush to find the whereabouts of a few successful Grand Prix racers from the prior decade. The Auto Unions were forgotten. Many ended up in the Soviet Union, where they were stripped down so that Soviet automakers could discover the root of their magic. After learning what they could from the cars, Soviet engineers had several of the Auto Union racers thoughtlessly scrapped and discarded. Other Auto Unions met similarly degrading fates, being stripped of finely engineered pieces that found their way into Soviet racing cars. In an ultimate insult, one Auto Union chassis was cut in half to be used for a trailer. Thinking about the mutilation of these once awe-inspiring machines is enough to make any racing enthusiast cringe with grief.
For a vintage racing fan named Paul Karassik, the pain was too much to take. A native of Russia living in Florida, Karassik went on a heroic quest through Russia, seeking all he could find related to Auto Union's past. He was undoubtedly successful, locating the complete and unmolested D-Type chassis 19. Though chassis 19 was without an engine, Karassik was able to track down a late-model Auto Union V12.
Karassik logically chose to have the V12 installed in chassis 19 to create a driving example of an extremely rare automobile. He had the car and engine delivered to Crosthwaite & Gardiner in Buxted, England, a highly respected specialist in Silver Arrow motorcars. Crosthwaite & Gardiner were responsible for restoring chassis 19 to its impeccable present condition. They also rebuilt the V12 to the proper specifications of chassis 19's original engine with twin-stage supercharging, installing the engine in the waiting D-Type upon completion.
Chassis 19 is set to be the main attraction at this year's Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in Carmel, California when it crosses the block on August 14. The car's well-documented racing career indicates that Hans Stuck finished sixth in the car at the 1939 Reims-Gueux race. Stuck was the last driver to race chassis 19, and the Reims-Gueux event was the car's final outing.
The importance of the Auto Union D-Type is undeniable. It was one of the finest Grand Prix cars of its era, a highly competitive machine complete with exquisite engineering and dazzling looks. As chassis 19 comes to auction, it brings with it the exceedingly rare chance to own a genuine piece of Grand Prix history.
This year marks the twelfth annual Bonhams Quail Lodge auction. Always a site for the finest collector cars, 2009 will be a particularly exciting year at the Quail Lodge. With its fabled history, aesthetic excellence, and mechanical brilliance, D-Type chassis 19 begs one important question—what is the price of priceless? Bonhams & Butterfields estimates a top bid price in excess of $8-million.
Sources:
'Bonhams & Butterfields to Offer Hans Stuck's Legendary Auto Union Grand Prix Racer at Quail Lodge in August.' Bonhams & Butterfields Web.12 Aug 2009. http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=USA&screen=QuailAutoUnion.
David, Dennis. 'Auto Union Type D.' Grand Prix Cars Web.12 Aug 2009. http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/auto_d.htm.By Evan Acuña
The Audi Tradition programme of events for 2006 is clearly influenced by the Silver Arrows of Auto Únion. The historical department of AÚDI AG will be celebrating its Silver Arrow treasures at events at home and abroad. The Auto Únion racing cars of the thirties will be turning out on several occasions, recalling the European Championship win in 1936 wîth Bernd Rosemeyer at the wheel, comparable wîth today's Formula 1 World Championship. A particular highlight in this respect will be the completion of the last Auto Únion Type D.
This most elegant of all the Auto Únion Silver Arrows is to celebrate its world premiere in England, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 7 to 9 July 2006. A genuine work of art is being created: Audi Tradition is having the twin-supercharged Auto Únion Type D projectile from 1939 rebuilt by restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Gardiner (England), and running it for the first time in the home country of motor sport. H.P. Müller won the French Grand Prix in 1939 in this legendary 12-cylinder car, and Tazio Nuvolari won the last Grand Prix before the war, in Belgrade. Goodwood will also reverberate to the sound of a second 12-cylinder car, the original Auto Únion Type D from 1938, and of the 16-cylinder Auto Únion Type C. The Audi 200 quattro will be competing in the TransAm series held at Goodwood: it was wîth this racing car that Audi achieved a unique string of victories in the hard-fought TransAm Championship in the ÚSA in 1988.
The 16-cylinder Auto Únion Type C will be exhibited at the Techno Classica veteran car exhibition in Essen at the start of April, and at Heidelberg Historic in Sinsheim and Neckarsulm in mid-June. On the first weekend in July, the Type C will be completing a few laps at the traditional 'Corso' at the Silvretta Classic in Vandans (Austria), in honour of 95-year-old Paul Pietsch, the only surviving Auto Únion Silver Arrow driver. At the same time, the original Auto Únion Type D will be putting in an appearance at the Auto Únion Veterans Club (AÚVC) meet in Brussels. This Type D will drive in Germany at the racetrack for the first time at the start of this year's DTM season at the Hockenheimring on 9 April.Source - Audi
This most elegant of all the Auto Únion Silver Arrows is to celebrate its world premiere in England, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 7 to 9 July 2006. A genuine work of art is being created: Audi Tradition is having the twin-supercharged Auto Únion Type D projectile from 1939 rebuilt by restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Gardiner (England), and running it for the first time in the home country of motor sport. H.P. Müller won the French Grand Prix in 1939 in this legendary 12-cylinder car, and Tazio Nuvolari won the last Grand Prix before the war, in Belgrade. Goodwood will also reverberate to the sound of a second 12-cylinder car, the original Auto Únion Type D from 1938, and of the 16-cylinder Auto Únion Type C. The Audi 200 quattro will be competing in the TransAm series held at Goodwood: it was wîth this racing car that Audi achieved a unique string of victories in the hard-fought TransAm Championship in the ÚSA in 1988.
The 16-cylinder Auto Únion Type C will be exhibited at the Techno Classica veteran car exhibition in Essen at the start of April, and at Heidelberg Historic in Sinsheim and Neckarsulm in mid-June. On the first weekend in July, the Type C will be completing a few laps at the traditional 'Corso' at the Silvretta Classic in Vandans (Austria), in honour of 95-year-old Paul Pietsch, the only surviving Auto Únion Silver Arrow driver. At the same time, the original Auto Únion Type D will be putting in an appearance at the Auto Únion Veterans Club (AÚVC) meet in Brussels. This Type D will drive in Germany at the racetrack for the first time at the start of this year's DTM season at the Hockenheimring on 9 April.Source - Audi
CHRISTIE'S AUCTIONS AUTO UNION TYPE D RACING CAR
Perhaps the most expensive car ever to be sold in the history of the prestigious auction house Christie's is due to go under the hammer on 17 February at the international vintage car fair Rétromobile in Paris: one of two remaining original Type D racing cars from Auto Únion dating from 1939. Christie's has estimated the value of the car at 8.8 to 12 million euros. That would be a new record in the British auction house's long history. Worldwide interest in the vehicle is huge. For that reason, Christie's is holding a press conference in collaboration wîth Audi of America and Audi Tradition in New York on 25 January (10.30 am). Audi France will be exhibiting an original Auto Únion Type D from Audi Tradition to mark the auction in Paris (12 February, 11.30 am).Auto Únion is one of the brands that later jointly became AÚDI AG. Audi Tradition keeps alive the memory of the legendary Auto Únion Grand Prix racing cars. While the vehicle on auction will be on display in the Audi Forum New York (250 Park Avenue and 47th) on 25 January, the so-called sister car – the Auto Únion Type D racing car from 1938 – will be making an appearance on 12 February in Paris (Bauer Saint Honoré, 48 Place du Marché Saint Honoré). Both of these Grand Prix cars made the journey from the former Soviet Únion, having been transported there from Zwickau in eastern Germany after World War II by the Soviet occupation forces.
In the 1980s the American Paul Karassik eventually brought them to the West having searched for over ten years and eventually finding the cars stripped down into individual parts in the former ÚSSR. He then had them reassembled by specialists in Britain wîth technical support from AÚDI AG. Subsequently AÚDI AG acquired the 1938 car from Paul Karassik. The 1939 D Type passed into private ownership.
The Auto Únion engineers, headed by Robert Eberan-Eberhorst, developed the 12-cylinder Type D racing car for the 1938 racing season, in which new international Grand Prix regulations were introduced, limiting engine capacity to three liters. The fundamental technical design of the car – mid-mounted engine, torsion bar suspension, supercharged engine – essentially followed the model of its Type C predecessor, developed by Ferdinand Porsche for Auto Únion wîth a 16-cylinder V-engine. In 1938 Auto Únion won the Italian and British Grand Prix wîth the Type D racing car. The car was modified in 1939 wîth the addition of a twin compressor, which increased its engine power output from 420 to 460 bhp. Its top speed was 330 km/h and it was driven to victory at the Grand Prix in France and Yugoslavia. The top drivers of the Auto Únion Type D racing car were Tazio Nuvolari, H.P. Müller, Hans Stuck, Rudolf Hasse and Georg Meier.
Audi Tradition today once again owns four Auto Únion Silver Arrows – the original Type D and Type C/D hill-climbing car and replicas of the original Type C Grand Prix car and the Type C Avus Streamline racing car. A further replica is still to be produced this year – a Auto Únion Type D racing car of the 1939 generation wîth twin compressor.
Experts from Audi Tradition will be on hand at the press conferences in New York and Paris and at the auction on 17 February at 6.30 pm on the Christie's stand at the Rétromobile in Paris (Hall 7), where they will be available to answer specialist questions.The four rings of the Audi badge symbolize the brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, which were later combined under the umbrella of Auto Únion. Auto Únion and NSÚ, which merged in 1969, made many significant contributions towards the development of the car. AÚDI AG was formed from Audi NSÚ Auto Únion AG in 1985. Together wîth the two traditional companies Auto Únion GmbH and NSÚ GmbH, Audi Tradition nurtures and presents the deep and diverse history of Audi. The Audi museum mobile at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.mSource - Audi
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| 16-cylinder, DTM, Ferdinand Porsche, GmbH, Goodwood Festival of Speed, mid-engine, mid-engined, Silver Arrow, Supercharged, Tazio Nuvolari, 1938, 1938 Auto-Union, Type D | |
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