Auto Union, the company which was the parent of what we now know as Audi, sure knew how to get itself into the headlines back in the 1930s, and now one of its most famed vehicles has been restored.
The Auto Union Lucca was born out of a desire to hold the world speed record, a title it had been in a tit-for-tat with Mercedes-Benz for supremacy.
Ultimately it was Auto Union which got the upper hand thanks to the Type A-based Lucca, which featured an incredibly low drag coefficient body, fitting just one occupant in a central position.
Behind the driver sat a 5.0-litre V16 engine, which was eventually able to deliver driver Hans Stuck the record with an average speed of 326.975km/h across a flying mile (1.6km), the fastest any ‘International Class C’ vehicle had been able to achieve.
At the time, this allowed Auto Union to claim the Lucca as the “fastest road racing car in the world”, though its racing debut was less successful, with two entries at the 1935 International Avus Race in Berlin unable to make the finish.
Since then, the Lucca – also known as the Rennlimousinen – disappeared from the public eye, leading Audi Tradition to commission a new example, revealed this week.
Built by Crosthwaite & Gardiner, the three-year project has seen the vehicle now fitted with a larger 6.0-litre V16 engine, capable of producing 382kW in a car which weighs just under 960kg.
“Of course, we recreated the car as authentically as possible, but at the same time, issues such as the car’s durability and maximizing efficiency in the project’s implementation were also important to us,” said Timo Witt, project manager for the Lucca’s recreation.
The vehicle will make its first public appearance in motion at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 9 to 12.
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