Popular German Cars in 1935 Audi Date Founded

German language car manufacturer

Auto Union AG

The first (1932–1948) version of the Motorcar Union four band logo, which survives as the logo of Audi
Industry	Automotive industry, Motor racing
Predecessor	Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen (DKW) Audiwerke AG Zwickau Horchwerke AG Zwickau Wanderer institute, Siegmar (now part of Chemnitz)
Founded	Motorcar Union AG Chemnitz, Germany (29 June 1932; 89 years ago  (1932-06-29))[i] Machine Matrimony GmbH Ingolstadt, Federal republic of germany (3 September 1949; 72 years agone  (1949-09-03))[2]
Defunct	i January 1969 (merger with NSU to Audi NSU Auto Wedlock AG)
Fate	acquired past Volkswagen, merged with NSU to create modernistic day Audi visitor.
Successor	Auto Union GmbH (1949–1968) Audi NSU Motorcar Matrimony AG (1969–1985) Audi AG (1985–present)
Headquarters	Chemnitz (1932–1948) Ingolstadt (1949–1968) Neckarsulm/Audi NSU (1969–1985) Ingolstadt/Audi AG (1985–nowadays)
Products	Automobiles

Auto Spousal relationship AG, Chemnitz, was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today.

Too every bit interim equally an umbrella firm for its four constituent brands (Audi, Horch, DKW, Wanderer), Auto Union is widely known for its racing team (Car Matrimony Rennabteilung, based at Horch works in Zwickau/Saxony). The Silver Arrows of the 2 High german teams (Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union) dominated not only GP car racing from 1934 onwards but set records that would take decades to beat, such as the fastest speed ever attained on a public road (at 432.vii km/h (268.9 mph), a record lasting until 2017. After beingness reduced to near ruin in the aftermath of World War II, Auto Union was re-founded in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in 1949, ultimately evolving into the mod mean solar day Audi company following its takeover by Volkswagen in 1964 and later on merger with NSU Motorenwerke in 1969.

The electric current corporate entity which bears the Motorcar Marriage proper noun – Automobile Union GmbH – was founded in 1985 and is a wholly endemic subsidiary of Audi AG; its purpose is to deed equally owner of Machine Union's historical trademarks and intellectual property, every bit well every bit managing Audi'south heritage operations. The company's distinctive logo, of 4 interlocking rings to stand for the original four members of the Auto Union, survives every bit the logo of Audi.

Germination [edit]

Auto Union was formed in Deutschland in 1932^[3] merging:

• Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen (brand DKW – steam-driven car) founded by Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen in 1916, it branched out into motorcycles, and and so front end-drive two-stroke cars built at Audi works in Zwickau since 1931.
• Horch – founded 1904 by Baronial Horch in Zwickau. It built cars starting from straight-twin engines to luxury models with V8- and V12 engines.^[4]
• Audi – considering of disputes with the CFO, August Horch in 1909 left his namesake enterprise and founded Audi across town, edifice inline-iv-, half dozen- and eight-cylinder-engined cars. In 1928 Audi became a subsidiary of Zschopauer Motorenwerke.
• Wanderer (only car segmentation) – founded in 1911, with small iv-cylinder cars and later a more luxurious directly-6 congenital in Siegmar (now Chemnitz)

In August 1928, Rasmussen, the owner of DKW, acquired a majority ownership of Audiwerke AG.^[5] In the same twelvemonth, Rasmussen bought the remains of the US automobile manufacturer Rickenbacker, including the manufacturing equipment for viii- and six-cylinder engines. These engines were used in Audi Zwickau, Audi Imperator and Audi Dresden models. At the same fourth dimension, six-cylinder and four-cylinder (licensed from Peugeot) models were manufactured.

In 1930 the Saxony Regional Banking company, which had financed Rasmussen's business expansion in the 1920s, installed Richard Bruhn on the lath of Audiwerke AG, and in that location followed a brutal pruning and rationalization of the various auto-businesses that Rasmussen had accumulated. The outcome was the founding in Summer 1932 of Auto Union AG with just four component businesses, being Zschopauer Motorenwerke with its brand DKW, Audi, Horch and the car producing piece of Wanderer,^[6] brought together under the umbrella of single shareholder visitor Auto Union. Although all four brands connected to sell cars under their own names and brands, the technological development became more centralized, with some Audi models employing engines by Horch or Wanderer.

The Auto Union racing cars [edit]

Groundwork [edit]

Auto Wedlock chairman, Klaus, Baron von Oertzen, wanted a showpiece projection to announce the new make. At the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, German language Chancellor Adolf Hitler announced two new programs:^[7]

• The people's automobile: a projection that became the KdF machine
• A country-sponsored motor racing programme: to develop a "high speed High german automotive industry," the foundation of which would be an almanac sum of 500,000 Reichsmark (RM)

At fellow manager'due south Adolf Rosenberger insistence, von Oertzen met with Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, who had done work for him earlier, and developed his own P-Wagen project racing car based on the new 750 kg (ane,650 lb) formula.^[7]

German racing driver Hans Stuck Sr. had met Hitler before he became Chancellor, and not being able to proceeds a seat at Mercedes, accepted the invitation of Rosenberger to join him, von Oertzen, and Porsche in budgeted the Chancellor. In a meeting in the Reich Chancellory, Hitler agreed with Porsche that for the celebrity of Germany, it would be amend for two companies to develop the project, resulting in Hitler like-minded to pay £40,000 for the country's all-time racing car of 1934, too as an annual stipend of 250,000 RM^[7] (£20,000)^[8] each for Mercedes and Auto Spousal relationship. (In time, this would climb to £250,000.)^[9] This highly annoyed Mercedes, who had already developed their Mercedes-Benz W25, which nevertheless was gratified, its racing programme having financial difficulties since 1931.^[9] It resulted in a heated exchange both on and off the racing rails between the 2 companies until World State of war II.

Having garnered state funds, Auto Union bought Porsches Hochleistungsfahrzeugbau GmbH (HFB) (High Operation Car Ltd.) and hence the P-Wagen Project for 75,000 RM, relocating the company to Machine Unions Horch plant at Zwickau.^[7]

Design [edit]

The Automobile Union racing cars types A to D were congenital as Grand Prix racing cars from 1934 to 1939. They resembled the earlier Benz Tropfenwagen, as well built in office by Rumpler engineers,^[10] The merely Grand Prix racers to clothing Machine Marriage'southward four-ringed logo, they were specially dominant in 1936. From 1935 to 1937, Auto Marriage cars car won 25 races, driven by Ernst von Delius, Bernd Rosemeyer, Hans Stuck Sr., and Achille Varzi. Much has been written about the hard handling characteristics of this car, but its tremendous power and dispatch were undeniable – a driver could induce wheelspin at over 100 mph (160 km/h).

The cars used supercharged piston engines; eventually producing almost 550 hp (410 kW; 560 PS), designed to provide optimum torque at depression engine speeds. Rosemeyer would after drive ane around the Nürburgring in a single gear, to prove the engine was flexible enough to practice it. Unlike its rivals, it had a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The fuel tank was located in the center of the car, directly behind the driver (who would be placed well towards the forepart), so the car'southward front-rear weight distribution would remain unchanged every bit fuel was used – exactly the same location used in modern open-bicycle racing cars, and for the same reason. The chassis tubes were initially used every bit h2o carriers from the radiator to the engine, merely this was eventually abandoned later on they often sprung minor leaks.

Racing results [edit]

The list of drivers for the initial 1934 flavor was headed by Stuck; he won the German, Swiss, and Czechoslovakian events, forth with wins in a number of colina climbs, becoming European Mount Champion.

In 1935, the engine had been enlarged to v L (305 cu in) displacement, producing 370 bhp (276 kW; 375 PS). Achille Varzi joined the team and won the Tunis Grand Prix and the Coppa Acerbo. Stuck won the Italian Grand Prix, plus his usual collection of hill-climb wins, again taking the European Mountain Championship. The new sensation, Rosemeyer, won the Czech Yard Prix.

Hans Stuck Sr. in an aerodynamic Type B in Italy

Stuck likewise managed to break speed records, reaching 199 mph (320 km/h) on an Italian autostrada in a airtight-cockpit streamliner.^[xi] Lessons learned from this streamlining were after applied to the T80 land speed tape car.

1939 Type C/D V16 hillclimb car

For 1936, the engine had grown to a full 6 L (366 cu in), and was now producing 520 bhp (388 kW; 527 PS); in the hands of Rosemeyer and his teammates, the Auto Union Type C dominated the racing world. Rosemeyer won the Eifelrennen, German, Swiss, and Italian Grands Prix, also as the Coppa Acerbo. He was crowned European Champion (Auto Union's only win of the driver's title), and besides took the European Mountain Championship. Varzi won the Tripoli Thousand Prix, while Stuck placed second in the Tripoli and German Grands Prix, and Ernst von Delius took 2nd in the Coppa Acerbo.

In 1937, the car was basically unchanged and did surprisingly well confronting the new Mercedes-Benz W125, winning five races to the 7 of Mercedes-Benz. Rosemeyer took the Eifel and Donington Grands Prix, the Coppa Acerbo, and the Vanderbilt Cup. Rudolf Hasse won the Belgian Grand Prix.

In addition to the new 3 L (183 cu in) formula, 1938 brought other challenges, principally the expiry of Rosemeyer early in the year, in an attempt on the country speed record on a German autobahn. Tazio Nuvolari joined the team, and won the Italian and Donington Grands Prix, in what was otherwise a thin year for the team, other than yet another European Mountain Title for Stuck.

In 1939, as war clouds gathered over Europe, Nuvolari won the Yugoslavia Grand Prix in Belgrade, while Hermann P. Müller won the 1939 French G Prix.

Second World War [edit]

The buildup and onset of World War Ii encouraged the development and production of special vehicles for military purposes in the 1930s. Auto Union became an important supplier of vehicles to Germany'southward armed forces.^[5] Post-obit the outbreak of war, civilian production was interrupted in May 1940. After this, the company produced exclusively for military purposes.^[5]

For the production of Junkers shipping engine nether license, Motorcar Union founded in 1935 the subsidiary "Mitteldeutsche Motorenwerke" (Central German Motor Works) at Taucha, northeast of Leipzig.

During Globe State of war Two, Automobile Matrimony/Horch supplied the chassis for the Sd.Kfz. 222 armored automobile. Powered by an 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) Horch V8 engine, it reached a top speed of l mph (80 km/h) on the route. The all-cycle drive Kfz. xi, or Horch/Wanderer Type 901, was used equally a medium send vehicle to shuttle High german war machine officials. Horch works also produced the AWD heavy transport vehicle Type 801 (both named Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht).

From the beginning of 1944, Motorcar Spousal relationship plants (Horch and Audi plant at Zwickau, Mitteldeutsche Motorenwerke and Siegmar/Wanderer plant at Siegmar-Schönau) were heavily bombed and severely damaged. The U.S. Army occupied Zwickau on 17 April 1945 near the finish of WWII. Later on withdrawal of the U.S. Regular army on 30 June from Zwickau, all Saxon plants of Auto Union were occupied by the Red Army.

The company exploited slave labor at Leitmeritz concentration camp. According to a 2014 report commissioned past the company, Auto Union bore "moral responsibility" for the iv,500 deaths that occurred at Leitmeritz.^[12]

East Deutschland [edit]

Postwar, the Saxon plants of Automobile Wedlock were located in the Soviet-occupied zone of communist Eastward Germany.

In 1945, on the orders of the Soviet Armed forces Administration in Germany, the factories were dismantled as state of war reparations,^[thirteen] while the racing cars plant stored in a colliery were returned to Moscow for reverse applied science. Following this, Auto Union AG assets were liquidated without bounty.^[13] On 17 Baronial 1948, Motorcar Union AG of Chemnitz was deleted from the commercial register.^[13] The remains of Horch and Audi plants of Zwickau became the VEB (for "People Owned Enterprise") Automobilwerk Zwickau, or AWZ; (Automobile Factory Zwickau).^[14]

The old Audi mill in Zwickau, now under East German control, restarted assembly of the pre-war models in 1949. Those models were renamed IFA F8 and IFA F9 and were similar to the new West German DKW versions. In time, a lawsuit compelled the Due east Germans to cease using the DKW brand. The factory went on to manufacture the Trabant until the early on 1990s, when it was acquired by Volkswagen, finer re-establishing its connection with Auto Union and Audi.

New Auto Marriage [edit]

With the Red Regular army quickly advancing on Zwickau immediately later on the state of war, and faced with the prospect of trying to save what was left of the company, Auto Union'southward executives had no option but to flee and re-establish the company on the Western side of a now partitioned Deutschland. Thus a new Auto Union company was launched in Ingolstadt, Bavaria with loans from the Bavarian state government and Marshall Plan aid.^[xv]

1964 Automobile Union / DKW Munga.

The reformed company Motorcar Matrimony GmbH was launched on 3 September 1949. The Ingolstadt facility had been run purely as a spare parts performance since 1945, but somewhen the directors found the funding to restart product – initially in a converted granary building in the town. With West Frg still in the early stages of rebuilding its economy after the war, the need for cheap transport meant that only the DKW brand would survive into the postwar era. The luxury focused Audi and Horch brands were placed into dormancy, whilst Wanderer had been the property of its original parent firm. Auto Union therefore continued DKW's tradition of producing affordable front end-wheel drive vehicles with two-stroke engines.^[15] This included production of the small but sturdy DKW RT 125 West motorcycle and a commitment van known as DKW Schnellaster. Many employees of the Saxony factories in Zwickau (Audi and Horch factories), Chemnitz (Siegmar plant, former Wanderer) and Zschopau (DKW Motorcycle manufactory) came to Ingolstadt and restarted the product.

In 1950, after a former Rheinmetall-Borsig factory in Düsseldorf-Derendorf was established as a 2d assembly facility, the company'south first postwar car went into production: the DKW Meisterklasse F 89 P, available as a sedan/saloon, a station wagon and the four-seater convertible built past Karmann.^{[xiii] [16]} The F 89 were based on the DKW F8 (motor) and the DKW F9 (coachwork) pre-state of war constructions.

From 1956 to 1968, most 46,750 DKW Munga light iv-bicycle drive military vehicles could be produced, mostly for the High german and other militaries.

In response to pressure from Friedrich Flick, then its largest single shareholder,^[17] Daimler-Benz acquired 87% of Auto Union in Apr 1958, taking complete control in the following year. In 1958 it saw the return of the Auto Union brand, represented by the Auto Union g, a small-scale saloon. At the same fourth dimension the 1000 Sp, a coupé, was produced for Machine Spousal relationship by the coachbuilder Baur at Stuttgart. Under Daimler-Benz buying the company invested heavily in the Ingolstadt plant. Car product at Düsseldorf was ended, and the plant became the centre of production for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz L 319 – a role which it continues to the present day. The DKW and Mercedes brands were able to establish a greater presence in the North American market by an agreement with the Studebaker-Packard Corporation in 1956 which through 1964 was the only benefactor in the Us. Because of SPC's large network of dealers, the Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz brands were able to expand much faster in the US markets. Many dealers today tin trace their origin back to beingness Studebaker-Packard dealerships.^{[ citation needed ]}

Yet, as prosperity began to return to Westward Germany, and as W German products gained valuable currency through export to the balance of Europe and North America, Daimler became increasingly worried that Auto Union's only market for its ii-stroke products, without massive investment, would be impoverished Due east Germany. 2-stroke engines became less popular towards the middle of the 1960s as customers were more attracted to the more refined 4-stroke engines. They began selling shares, which with the agreed help of the W German Government, were acquired by Volkswagenwerk AG.

In 1964, Volkswagen acquired the factory in Ingolstadt and the trademark rights of Auto Matrimony, with the exception of the dormant Horch brand which Daimler-Benz retained. A programme that Daimler had initiated at Auto Marriage created a range of cars that would subsequently provide the footing for Volkswagen'south line of front-wheel-drive models, such equally the Audi eighty and Volkswagen Passat. At the fourth dimension a new model, internally designated F103, was under evolution. This was based on the last DKW model, the DKW F102, with a four-stroke engine implanted and some forepart and rear styling changes. Volkswagen abased the DKW brand considering of association with ii-stroke engines, effectively leaving Volkswagen with the Audi make. The new model was launched in September 1965 as simply the "Audi." The name was a model designation rather than the manufacturer, which was however officially Auto Union. As more models were later added to the Audi range, this model was renamed Audi 72.

In 1969, Auto Union merged with NSU Motorenwerke AG, based in Neckarsulm, nearly Stuttgart. In the 1950s, NSU had been the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, only had moved on to produce small cars like the NSU Prinz, the TT and TTS versions of which are still popular every bit vintage race cars. NSU and then focused on new rotary engines based on the ideas of Felix Wankel. In 1967, the new NSU Ro 80 was a space-age machine, well ahead of its fourth dimension in technical details such as aerodynamics, light weight, and rubber but teething problems with the rotary engines put an end to the independence of NSU. The mid-sized car NSU had been working on, the K70, was intended to slot between the rear-engined Prinz models and the futuristic NSU Ro lxxx. Withal, Volkswagen took the K70 for its own range, spelling the end of NSU every bit a split brand.

Later existence merged with Neckarsulm car maker NSU, the official proper noun became Audi NSU Auto Spousal relationship AG, which was merely shortened to Audi AG in 1985, ending both the Motorcar Union and NSU brands. The company's headquarters returned to Ingolstadt; at the same fourth dimension Audi formed the new companies Auto Union GmbH, and NSU GmbH as wholly owned subsidiaries whose function was to own and protect the historical trademarks and intellectual property of both Auto Union and NSU.

In May 2009, Porsche gained majority control of Volkswagen Grouping and proposed a merger of the two companies.^{[ commendation needed ]} In Baronial 2009, Volkswagen AG's supervisory board signed the understanding to create an integrated Auto group with Porsche led by Volkswagen.^{[ citation needed ]} Volkswagen will initially take a 42% pale in Porsche AG past the end of 2009, and meet the family^{[ description needed ]} shareholders selling the automotive trading business organisation of Porsche Property Salsburg to Volkswagen. Rumors began to announced in the printing the proper noun Auto Union would exist revived for the new group property company.^[18]

Logo [edit]

The trademark symbol of Auto Wedlock (and present-day Audi), the four overlapping rings, symbolized the four marques forming Auto Union: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer.^{[19] [20]}

Although Auto Union used the four ring logo, it was only used on Auto Union racing cars in that menses, while the member companies used their own names and emblems.

There is too a version of logo that uses both overlapping and interlocking rings.^[21]

Tribute [edit]

Auto Union was tributed at the 1999 Monterey Historic Automobile Races.^[22]

Meet also [edit]

• List of German cars

References [edit]

Notes [edit]

1. ^ "History of Audi AG". Archived from the original on fourteen January 2013. Retrieved fifteen January 2016.
2. ^ 4 Rings: The Audi Story. Audi AG. 1 August 2013. ISBN978-3768826730.
3. ^ "Porsche Designs: From Racetrack to Battlefield". Ran When Parked. 27 January 2012.
4. ^ Peter Kirchberg, Juergen Poenisch: HORCH – Types * Technics * Models, Edition Audi Tradition, published by Delius Klasing Germany, ISBN 978-3-7688-1775-2.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Audi website "Archived copy". Archived from the original on iv February 2009. Retrieved four February 2009. {{cite spider web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. ^ Deutsche Autos, Band 2, 2001, p. 85. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDeutsche_Autos,_Band_2,2001 (help)
7. ^ ^{a b c d} "Motorcar Spousal relationship Type C". DDavid.com. Retrieved twenty June 2009.
8. ^ Setright, L. J. K. "Mercedes-Benz: The High german Fountain-head", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 11, p.1311.
9. ^ ^{a b} Setright, p.1312.
10. ^ Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: One Aeroplane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p.1964.
11. ^ Grand.Due east.T. Eyston; Barré Lyndon (1935). Motor Racing and Record Breaking.
12. ^ Le Blond, Josie (26 May 2014). "Slave probe exposes Audi's Nazi past". The Local . Retrieved nine Jan 2020.
13. ^ ^{a b c d} Audi website "Archived re-create". Archived from the original on 4 Feb 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009. {{cite spider web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. ^ de:Automobilwerk Zwickau
15. ^ ^{a b} "Audi Worldwide> Dwelling house". Audi.com. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 Feb 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
16. ^ "Spiegel Wissen: Automobile Union (high german)". Retrieved 21 September 2008.
17. ^ Deutsche Autos, Ring 2, 2001, p. 263. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDeutsche_Autos,_Band_2,2001 (assist)
18. ^ Chris Hallett (15 May 2009). "The render of Auto Union". AutoCar. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
19. ^ Car Logo. "Audi Logo". Archived from the original on thirty September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
20. ^ "History of the Iv Rings-Part one-Audi Motorcar Union". Seriouswheels.com. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
21. ^ Audi's Typographic Stylings
22. ^ Monterey Historics 1999. Audiworld.com (1 September 1999). Retrieved on 2013-07-xvi.

Bibliography [edit]

• Bruintjes, Jeroen. "Auto Union Blazon E—The Stillborn one.5-litre auto: Why it (Near) did Exist"
• Clarke, R.M., ed. (1986). On Audi & Car Marriage 1952-1980. Road & Rails Series. Cobham, Surrey, Great britain: Brooklands Books. ISBN0948207876.
• Oswald, Werner (2001). Deutsche Autos [German language Cars] (in High german). Vol. Band [Book] 2: 1920–1945. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN3613021706.
• Snellman, Leif. "The Early Automobile Unions, From P-Wagen to A-type"
• Ward, Rod (2015). Automobile Union: Audi, Horch, Wanderer, DKW, Framo (and NSU). Automobile Review series, no. 112. Leeds, UK: Zeteo Publishing. OCLC 919299525.
• Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: 1 Plane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p. 1964.
• Woods, Jonathan, ed. (1985). Slap-up Marques of Germany. London: Octopus Books. ISBN0706422562.

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Automobile-Union.

• Baronial-Horch-Museum
• Audi History
• AUTO UNION Sales Brochures 1939
• AutoUnion: the cars, the drivers and the history
• Machine Spousal relationship Celebrated site
• Documents and clippings about Auto Matrimony in the 20th Century Press Athenaeum of the ZBW

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Popular German Cars in 1935 Audi Date Founded

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