Auto Union Type C – most successful German Grand Prix racing car in 1936!

The Auto Union Type C was the most successful German Grand Prix racing car in 1936. It won three out of five Grand Prix races, half of the circuit races and all hill-climbs in which Auto Union participated. In addition, the Type C set more than thirty world records.

In order to minimise the financial risk for his own design bureau due to limited funds, on 8 November 1932 Porsche founded the Hochleistungsfahrzeugbau GmbH (HFB) – High-performance Vehicle Construction Ltd.) – together with his managing director Adolf Rosenberger. The sole purpose of the company was to realise the P-car (P stood for Porsche) racing car project: from design and construction through to operational readiness and racing participation. A few days after the official release of the new racing formula, Porsche and the employees of his Stuttgart design office determined the cornerstones for the development of the racing car: a 4.4 litre sixteen-cylinder V motor supercharged with a Roots blower. The protocol for work preparation of 11 March 1933 in Zwickau shows that Karl Rabe submitted all individual drawings for the car. The V16 motor was designed by Josef Kales, while Rabe was responsible for the chassis and suspension. In 1933 Auto Union adopted the P-car concept for 75,000 Reichsmark. First tests were made in the winter of 1933/34 at the Nürburgring, at the AVUS in Berlin and the AutodromoNazionale in Monza. In 1934, the Auto Union racing division became the first and only German racing team to compete in the new 750 kg formula. The development time was too short for Mercedes-Benz.

Only a single Auto Union Type C survived World War II.

Exciting facts accompany a remarkable and functional 1:3 scale remote-control model with a 16V petrol motor – all on display now in our new exhibition area at fahr(T)raum, Mattsee.

This fully-functional model will be restarted at the Model Sport Days on 28 & 29 April, 2018, again delighting the audience with its impressive motor sound!