by At the Speed Festival in Goodwood, a unique Auto Union Type 52 Schnellsportwagen made its debut. This lesser-known supercar from the 1930s was never released. This is written by Focus.
Auto Union Type 52 Schnellsportwagen is a project of a high-speed sports car created by Ferdinand Porsche in 1935 based on racing cars of the class “Schnellsportwagen”. It only existed on drawings and sketches as a prototype was never made.
The company Audi, which is the successor of Auto Union, decided to build the supercar of the 1930s after all. The car turned out to be very unconventional.
The mid-engine coupe is built on a frame and has a lightweight streamlined aluminum body. The car is over 5 meters in length with a wheelbase of 3.3 meters, and its weight is 1448 kg.
In the cabin, the driver sits in the center, and two passengers are on the sides (similar to the McLaren F1). Expensive wood was used for decoration. Interestingly, there is a trunk (with separate doors) and two spare wheels.
But the most interesting is the engine located behind the seats. It is a huge 6.0-liter V16 with a compressor from the Auto Union Type C 1936 racing car (also created by Ferdinand Porsche).
The 88-year-old engine produces 520 hp and 886 Nm and runs on an explosive mixture of 50% methanol, 40% gasoline, and 10% toluene. The Auto Union Type 52 Schnellsportwagen supercar received hydraulic shocks and drum brakes.
