4 replies to this topic

[D-Type]

This has been discussed before and it seems to be generally accepted that the Auto-Union Type A, Type B, etc designations were probably invented by Laurence Pomeroy and copied by everyone else.  I have seen at least one person say that the correct designation is "Typ 1934", "Typ 1935" etc.  Now I'm not so sure - while looking through my Motor Sport 1924-1949 disc for something else I found this in the October 1937 edition:

Rosemeyer's winning Auto-Union, officially a Type 22 Horch, was brought to London by truck on the Sunday and displayed at the Great Portland Street Showrooms of Auto-Union Sales Ltd on the Monday

 

I've never come across this before, but it makes sense as the Auto-Union racers were built at the Horch factory.  Has anyone else come across similar designations elsewhere?

Edited by D-Type, 20 August 2013 - 21:28.

[D-Type]

After looking around the internet, I found that a couple of posters imply that "Type 22" applied to all the Auto Union GP cars not a particular model.  And one suggests it was a "Porsche Type 22" rather than a Horch Type 22.

Can anybody add anything definitive?

Edited by D-Type, 21 August 2013 - 20:41.

[Vitesse2]

"Typ 22" is the original Porsche Büro design project number, Duncan. Like BRM they assigned a number to everything they designed in-house. See this article by Martin Schröder (in German) from Powerslide:

 

http://www.powerslid...r/items/76.html

 

It would have had no real relevance as an Auto Union type number.

[D-Type]

Thanks, Richard. So Motor Sport only got it half right - Well, WB was still learning his trade.

[Vitesse2]

Thanks, Richard. So Motor Sport only got it half right - Well, WB was still learning his trade.

... and Rosemeyer - whose "company car" was a Horch - had a wicked sense of humour. This could very well be one of Bernd's jokes!