Rosemeyer: Originally, the Bugatti Veyron was an Audi

The nickname “Silver Arrows” was applied not only to Mercedes cars of the 1950s, but also to scary and “bad” cars such as the Auto Union of the 1930s. Engine V16 designed by a certain Ferdinand Porschemore than 500 horsepower and unmistakable looks, and a pilot who resembles a train driver so it sits at the front with shiny silver work.

ACTIVITY PILOT. The impressive and original appearance of the Automobile Union is something that still amazes today. However, he failed to frighten Bernd Rosemeyer, the incredibly talented German driver who died before his time on January 28, 1938: during the race to set the world road speed record he lost control of his racing car for more than 430 kilometers / h, dying instantly after being. thrown from the driving seat. In his short life Rosemeyer boasted the title of European Champion in 1936 by controlling the Auto Union Type C (and showed special talent on the infernal Nürburgring circuit), the German mountain title and even set the road speed record: 432 km / h, in 1938. Crazy stuff. Unfortunately, Rosemeyer met his death in an attempt to further improve his own record. He was not yet thirty years old when his name was given forever entered the story of the race.

PAST GLORY RESPECT. To pay tribute to such a brave and successful driver, Audi, which has its roots in Auto Union, created the Rosemeyer in 2000, a stunning concept car. Rosemeyer’s key data is impressive: The naturally aspirated 8.0 W16 engine is mid-mounted with nearly 700 horsepower, and a tachometer red line. at 9,000 rpm and a high speed of 350 km / h. Does it remind you of anything? That’s right, the Bugatti Veyron. Audi will use Rosemeyer for some details of the future R8, but the true spiritual (and material) successor of Rosemeyer will be the quad-turbo Veyron W16, the mother of all modern hypercars and even crazier than this silver concept, according to Cars. Union Type A/B/C/D.

THE ANCIENT ANIMAL. Rosemeyer is like no other to the eye: the whole body is made of extruded aluminum, the front part takes up space. 1930s Auto Union Grille, while the rear is reminiscent, provided it is a city car and covered with slits along the ‘spine’ that give it an original look. Further details are the details that wink at the Audi TT born at the time, such as the wheels, the headlights and the beautiful exhausts, while in the tunnel that separates the seats, a six-speed manual transmission is built into it. grid selector which is a Lamborghini. The strange thing is that the steering wheel is similar to the Spyker C8. The Audi Rosemeyer would never be mass-produced, but it would pave the way for one of the most incredible and revolutionary sports cars ever. Who knows if Berndt would approve.