Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ten original Silver Arrows assemble at the 2012 Goodwood Revival]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/22/see-the-original-silver-arrows-run-at-the-2012-goodwood-revival/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/22/see-the-original-silver-arrows-run-at-the-2012-goodwood-revival/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/22/see-the-original-silver-arrows-run-at-the-2012-goodwood-revival/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Silver Arrows at Goodwood

The Earl of March, the man responsible for the Goodwood Revival, said he's been trying to get all of the Silver Arrows race cars - those of Auto Union, now Audi Tradition, and Mercedes-Benz - to the event for 20 years. This year, the stars aligned. 2012 marked the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows arriving in the UK, and there have never been as many of the instantly recognizable winners in one place at the same time. Ten of them, to be specific.

They weren't just there to sit in "the box," either, with drivers like Jackie Stewart, Jochen Mass and Karl Wendlinger throwing them around the Goodwood Circuit. For all of their Wagnerian pre-war thunder,at least one of them was apparently kinder than it sounded: Mass compared the handling of the Mercedes W25, with its over 400-horsepower 4.3-liter inline eight-cylinder, to a Volkswagen Beetle.

For more commentary and a great look at the retro style of the Goodwood Revival, check out the video posted below.

Continue reading Ten original Silver Arrows assemble at the 2012 Goodwood Revival

Ten original Silver Arrows assemble at the 2012 Goodwood Revival originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a great many years dying in the wilderness of the former USSR, and then spending a few more years in the hands of private collectors, the twin-supercharged 1939 Auto Union Type D is finally back home with Audi. One of the precursor companies to Audi, Auto Union, based in Zwickau, Germany, was the other Silver Arrows team (alongside Mercedes-Benz) that demolished the racing competition in the 1930s until World War II intervened.

Audi Tradition, the heritage arm of the firm, says there are five original Auto Union racers in existence. This 1939 model was specially prepped with two superchargers instead of the usual one, and won the 1939 French and Czechoslovakian Grands Prix with its 485-horsepower 12-cylinder engine and 330 kilometer-per-hour (205 mph) top speed. But Zwickau fell in the eastern portion of Germany; caught in the Russian web at the end of WWII, the stored Auto Union cars were carted back to Russia as part of German reparations.

Enter Paul Karassik, an American immigrant from Serbia, of Russian ancestry, who had watched the Auto Unions race in Belgrade just before the outbreak of war. Starting in the 1970s, he spent a decade tracking down the remains of two Auto Unions in Russia and Ukraine - this 1939 model and a 1938 Type D with a single supercharger - and finally managed to buy them. In 1990 he began commissioning their restorations, which included building completely new bodies for both, and by 1994 they were finished.

Karasssik sold the 1938 Type D to Audi in 1998, and the 1939 Type D to another collector in 2000. Audi Tradition has made that second car part of its collection, meaning it now owns three of the five originals. Scroll down for a press release with all the details on the car and the acquisition.

Continue reading Audi buys last Auto Union Type D twin-supercharged racer

Audi buys last Auto Union Type D twin-supercharged racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1939 auto union type daudiaudi traditionauto unionauto union type dclassicsilver arrowstype dvintageTue, 14 Aug 2012 10:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20298327/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/08/14/audi-buys-last-auto-union-type-d-twin-supercharged-racer/20298327/article-detail.xml 20298327 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/autounion1939tws_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/autounion1939tws.jpg <![CDATA[Walter Röhrl and Audi Sport Quattro S1 reuniting for 25th anniversary run up Pikes Peak]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/walter-rohrl-and-audi-sport-quattro-s1-reuniting-for-25th-annive/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/walter-rohrl-and-audi-sport-quattro-s1-reuniting-for-25th-annive/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/29/walter-rohrl-and-audi-sport-quattro-s1-reuniting-for-25th-annive/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Walter Röhrl with 1987 Audi Sport Quattro S1

Pikes Peak. It's one of the most grueling races in the world, climbing steeply uphill some 20 kilometers around 150 curves to the summit at 4,301 meters. These days the course is paved, but back in 1987 it was all dirt. That's when the legendary Walter Röhrl drove the 600-horsepower Audi Sport Quattro S1 up the mountain in a blistering 10:48. Sure, others have done it quicker since, but they've done it on pavement whereas Röhrl did it in the dirt.

Twenty-five years later, Audi is bringing Röhrl and his mighty S1 back to Pikes Peak for a high-speed trip up memory lane. The pseudo reenactment will take place on July 8, but for those not planning a trip to Colorado this summer but are heading to Germany this week, the car is on display at Techno Classica, the mega classic car expo in Essen, with Röhrl himself on hand Sunday, March 25. Details in the press release below, and feel free to click on the image above to enlarge.

Continue reading Walter Röhrl and Audi Sport Quattro S1 reuniting for 25th anniversary run up Pikes Peak

Walter Röhrl and Audi Sport Quattro S1 reuniting for 25th anniversary run up Pikes Peak originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first Audi Quattro unveiled in Geneva in 1980 - Click above for high-res image

Audi's Quattro system is 30 this year, introduced on the Ur-Quattro at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show. To celebrate, Audi has a full year of activities planned, including a special exhibition at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, a place at the Techno Classica in Essen, and Audi Tradition hauling momentous examples of Quattro to shows around Europe.

It's interesting to ponder where Audi would have gone without Quattro. In America the tech and halo associations that emanated from the marque's Group B rally eating monsters helped it go from being perceived as a maker of really nice VWs to a luxury line with a unique, finessed brawn. We do wonder, though, what the original Quattro would say to a TT... Follow the jump for Audi's press release and a glimpse of where you can find vintage Audis and Auto Unions throughout the year.


Gallery: Audi Quattro's 30th Anniversary


[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi Quattro celebrates 30 years of gravel spitting performance

Audi Quattro celebrates 30 years of gravel spitting performance originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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