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Baby Auto Union

Started by Brun , Mar 31 2004 23:13

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29 replies to this topic

#1 Brun

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:13

Just got this off the site of the Erfurter Allgemeine (translation)

At the opening of the August Horch museum in September this year, Audi will also exhibit the unrestored version of a previously unknown racecar. This car, a so called 'baby' Auto Union, is a smaller version of the famous Saxonian silver arrows that scored many victories on European race tracks in the 1930s. These cars were thought to be destroyed in the war, yet recently several components surfaced in the inventory of a shop in Erfurt, including an undamaged chassis. Although the car on display never raced, it was put through a few test runs, one of which took place in Erfurt.

Scans can be found here. They're quite large, so I made a link instead of posting them here directly. :eek:

(Sorry, got so excited that I ***** the link and made a lot of typos, I've edited it now and it should be working)

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#2 Vitesse2

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:27

Not Found You tried to access the object /erfurt-au.jpg on this server. This particular object or URL is not present on the server, or you do not have access to it. You could try to retype the URL or contact the webmaster.

:

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#3 Brun

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:31

Fixed...

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#4 GIGLEUX

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:36

Silver arrow or silver fish?

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#5 scags

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:37

amazing- they must have looked very hard to find it!

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#6 Vitesse2

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Posted 31 March 2004 - 23:41

Lovely, Brun! A V10 too ....

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#7 MPea3

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 00:55

WOW!

did i do that correctly?

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#8 dbw

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 01:21

very rare high-pressure slicks for record runs.... :up:

[just my .02 euros worth]

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#9 Ray Bell

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 02:30

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Lovely, Brun! A V10 too ....

They must have been looking over Henry Ford's shoulder as he tested that 5-cyl flathead!

Or they were prepared to put up with the vibrations?

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#10 Option1

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 02:54

Brun you've done it again!!

Mind you that cockpit looks awful cramped and the steering wheel looks even more over-sized than normal. Maybe it's just the proportions.

Neil

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#11 D-Type

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 07:37

Originally posted by Option1
Brun you've done it again!!

Mind you that cockpit looks awful cramped and the steering wheel looks even more over-sized than normal. Maybe it's just the proportions.

Neil

Although the whole car was smaller than the D-Type, proportionately the engine mass would not reduce as much as the wheelbase. The effect would be that the effective polar moment of inertia would be greater. In other words the car would be even more 'tail happy' than its predecessors. Consequently in order to wrestle the car round the Nordschliefe the driver would have needed the leverage of a large steering wheel. men were definitely men in those days!

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#12 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 08:35

Originally posted by GIGLEUX
Silver arrow or silver fish?

Why fish?

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#13 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 08:37

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Lovely, Brun! A V10 too ....

My words to Brun, when he sent me the picture of the Baby AU a few days ago. :lol:

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#14 Pavel Lifintsev

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 09:22

Originally posted by Holger Merten
Why fish?

A pretty common title for AU cars, because of their rear view. Sometimes opposed to MB Silver Arrows.

Posted Image

Doesn't it look like a fish?

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#15 Tim Murray

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 09:27

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Lovely, Brun! A V10 too ....

So can we conclude that AU pioneered the V10 concept? I assume the knowledge they gained from this engine stood them in good stead when they developed the 5 cylinder Audis.

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#16 Brun

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 10:05

Impressive isn't it? The rediscovery of a rear-engined smallblock V10, we can conclude that Schumacher is actually driving an Auto Union. :cool:

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#17 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 10:17

A "red fish" named shark.;)

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#18 Vitesse2

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 10:30

Originally posted by Brun
.... several components surfaced in the inventory of a shop in Erfurt, including an undamaged chassis.

Remarkable how they have managed to recreate it from just a few bits and without the benefit of the plans. I do hope you're going to search for the blueprints, Brun!

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#19 petefenelon

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 15:10

Originally posted by Brun
Just got this off the site of the Erfurter Allgemeine (translation)

At the opening of the August Horch museum in September this year, Audi will also exhibit the unrestored version of a previously unknown racecar. This car, a so called 'baby' Auto Union, is a smaller version of the famous Saxonian silver arrows that scored many victories on European race tracks in the 1930s. These cars were thought to be destroyed in the war, yet recently several components surfaced in the inventory of a shop in Erfurt, including an undamaged chassis. Although the car on display never raced, it was put through a few test runs, one of which took place in Erfurt.

There must've been significant problems with the steering on that car, I mean the wheel is gigantic.... I know transmitting all that power through those rock-hard tyres must've been a Herculean task, but it certainly looks like a car for veritable Titans to drive.... must've been very, very challenging for a Voiturette.

(I wonder if this was designed to compete against the W165?)

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#20 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 15:21

I found three original tyres that would fit to the baby Auto Union replica. Will call Audi today to make them a good offer. :lol:

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#21 Option1

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 15:30

Originally posted by D-Type

Although the whole car was smaller than the D-Type, proportionately the engine mass would not reduce as much as the wheelbase. The effect would be that the effective polar moment of inertia would be greater. In other words the car would be even more 'tail happy' than its predecessors. Consequently in order to wrestle the car round the Nordschliefe the driver would have needed the leverage of a large steering wheel. men were definitely men in those days!

Ahhhh, that might explain it.

Originally posted by Holger Merten

I found three original tyres that would fit to the baby Auto Union replica. Will call Audi today to make them a good offer.

Hmmm, I'm thinking they might want four. Find another one and you can probably name your own price.;)

Neil

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#22 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 15:42

I thought I could start for the three tyres with an offer arround 2 mio. $.

Compared to Neubauers flag on ebay it's dumping, cause I have three originals from before WW2.

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#23 Hans Etzrodt

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 16:49

Brun!

April, April, mag glauben was er will!

:up:

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#24 Racer.Demon

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 17:08

So they did finish one! :lol:

I'm expecting a rewrite any day soon now, Brun...

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#25 conjohn

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 17:32

Originally posted by GIGLEUX
Silver arrow or silver fish?

Definitely fish.... :rotfl:

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#26 GIGLEUX

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 17:40

Originally posted by Holger Merten

Why fish?

Holger, in France we call a 1st April's joke an april fish or a fish!

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#27 Holger Merten

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 18:18

Interesting, cause, when the AU entered the AVUS in march 1933 for the SRA, it was named Silberfisch by a Berlin Newspaper. Therefor I asked. :wave:

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#28 Brun

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 20:28

Originally posted by Holger Merten
I thought I could start for the three tyres with an offer arround 2 mio. $.

Compared to Neubauers flag on ebay it's dumping, cause I have three originals from before WW2.

My GOD I sure hope that's a joke too... one point three million dollars for a ****** flag...

Mattijs, I'm working on it! This V10-thing sheds a whole new light on the Typ E-matter. I've found evidence to the rumours that Ferrari may have been involved after all... and that Schumacher is actually driving a Tatra-influenced Porsche this weekend... which would of course be a scandal if it would come out!

Zhere vill be more vhere zhis came vrom!

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#29 Brun

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Posted 01 April 2004 - 20:30

By the way, I met Elvis at the Burger King today. Asked me to say hello to you guys. He's planning a comeback as a Nascar driver.

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#30 Wolf

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Posted 02 April 2004 - 01:34

Originally posted by .ru

Doesn't it look like a fish?

This is clearly a marine mammal of a sort- fishes have vertical tail fins, as opposed to mammals that have horizontal ones (probably their fins have evolved from hind legs, when packing it up and going back into oceans) ...;)