Audi buys back the farm

In a case involving more twists, turns and international intrigue than a John le Carre spy thriller, Audi has repurchased a famous race car lost in the USSR for many years.

The 1939 Auto Union twin-supercharger Type D was part of the legendary Silver Arrows racers that stunned the motorsport world with their futuristic design and distinctive silver finish when they first appeared in 1934.

Alongside the Mercedes-Benz race cars of the same name, the Silver Arrows dominated racing on Europe's Grand Prix circuits, proving virtually unbeatable until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

While Mercedes-Benz relied on conventional front-engined cars, Auto Union placed its engine behind the driver – the layout that is still a standard feature of today’s Formula One cars.

The Silver Arrows captured one title after another with drivers including Bernd Rosemeyer, Tazio Nuvolari and Hans Stuck (Auto Union), Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Hermann Lang (Mercedes-Benz).

The distinctive 16-cylinder Auto Unions reached speeds of more than 300km/h at a time when serious safety precautions were practically unheard of. Bernd Rosemeyer's car was once clocked at an incredible 380 km/h.

The Second World War brought an abrupt end to the supercharger era. But while Mercedes-Benz was able to rescue almost all its Silver Arrow cars after the war, fate was less kind to Auto Union.

The city of Zwickau where the company made its cars was occupied by the Soviet Army, which led to the Auto Union Silver Arrows being carried off to the Soviet Union as part of Germany’s reparation payments.

By the time the new Auto Union GmbH (today’s Audi AG) was established in Ingolstadt in 1949, the Cold War had already begun and the Iron Curtain had slammed shut.

All trace of the Auto Union Silver Arrows was believed lost until the late 1970s, when American classic car collector Paul Karassik heard rumours one of the cars had been located in the former Soviet Union.

Karassik had seen the Silver Arrows in action as a child at the last Grand Prix held before the Second World War in Belgrade. His childhood experience of being raised in a White Russian family, growing up in Serbia and speaking fluent Russian proved invaluable in the ensuing quest that took more than 10 years.

After numerous visits to the USSR Karassik eventually tracked down the remains of two dismantled Auto Union cars and was able to buy them. But it took several hair-raising journeys before he was able to bring the parts out through the Iron Curtain to Western Europe.

After flying the remains back to the USA, Karassik made contact with experts in the Audi AG Tradition department for advice on the planned restoration.

English company Crosthwaite & Gardiner was eventually entrusted with the task of rebuilding the rare historic racing cars. From the remnant engines, chassis, axles and gearboxes, they decided to create a 1938-spec Type D single-supercharger car, and a 1939 twin supercharged Type D.  

Since nothing of the original bodies had survived,   another English firm Rod Jolley Coachbuilding was commissioned to build the replica bodies, and the cars were completed in 1993 and 1994 respectively.  

Audi purchased the Type D single-supercharger in 1998 but the twin-compressor car was sold to a private collector in 2000 and has only just come back into Audi’s hands.

Having now purchased the two “Karassik cars”, Audi now owns all three Auto Union racing cars, including Hans Stuck’s Type C/D hillclimb car, which was recovered from Riga, Latvia, after the demise of the Soviet Union.  

The three classic racers will be reunited for display at the Audi museum in Ingolstadt, but not before the twin screw Type D makes a guest appearance at the Goodwood Revival in England, from September 14 to 16.

“This is one of the most emotional moments in our heritage work for AUDI AG – we have come full circle,” said Thomas Frank, Head of Audi Tradition.