To achieve victories, Auto Union decided to have the most suitable technicians available. Wanderer hired Ferdinand Porsche as a consultant, while other specialists hired were Karl Rabe as a chassis specialist and Josef Kales in charge of engine design.
The Auto Union P-Wagen - or type A - turned out to be a car totally out of stock. It impacted by its good aerodynamic design and advanced design, placing the engine behind the pilot. The chassis of two large longitudinal tubes and crossbars supported the weight of the engine and its vibrations.
The impeller stood out for its characteristics. In 1933 Auto Union had a V16 at 45º of 4.360 cm3 displacement equipped with supercharger. Although the power was 295 hp at 4,500 rpm, it was more than one could expect from that group of technicians who tried to spare the already immense Mercedes Benz.
The chassis of the Auto Union P-Wagen incorporated criteria present in today's sports cars. The engine located in front of the rear axle, the transmission behind the rear, and the fuel tank between the engine and the pilot, to maintain constancy in the centre of gravity. The front beam had independent suspension with torsion bar and the rear pivoting arms.
The drivers had a period of adaptation to this new “species” of automobile, although in 1934 Hans Stuck won 3 Grand Prix with the P-Wagen (or “A type”). By 1935 the car was optimized and renamed Auto Union B type. With a torsion bar in the rear suspension, 4,950 cm3 engine displacement and more power, the new car won two victories, with rookie Berndt Rosemeyer.
By 1936 Auto Union continued to work on its racing car, now called Auto Union C type. The main characteristics were maintained, changing engine displacement and power, now 6,000 cm3 and 520 hp. The successes soon arrived. Auto Union got six wins, five by Rosemeyer and one by Varzi.
At that time, the Grand Prix competitions were under total control of German cars, both Auto Union and Mercedes.
In 1937 Rosemeyer won four more wins, including the Vanderbilt Cup in the United States and the last 750 kg Formula competition at the Donington Grand Prix.
Auto Union also participated in the 3-litre Formula (engine capacity) for which Robert Eberan von Eberhorst designed another innovative car, with a new engine and De Dion bridge in the rear suspension. The driver of this small car was a 60º V12 of 3.000 cm3 displacement and supercharger, reaching a power of 485 hp at 7,000 rpm. The intake valves were driven by a central camshaft, while the outlet valves had a single shaft for each bank.
In 1938 Auto Union suffered the loss of its star driver Berndt Rosemeyer, who died trying to beat a record. Auto Union did not participate in the first competitions. They then convinced to run Tazio Nuvolari, who that year won two Grand Prix for the brand.
In 1939 the Auto Union D type won the last victories in its Grand Prix record, where he would not return. Those last two victories were won by Hans Stuck and Tazio Nuvolari.
© Adrián Blanco 2007 - No full or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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