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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Did Porsche build a 16-cylinder supercar in the 1930s? Not as a Porsche-branded road car. Ferdinand Porsche’s engineering office developed a V16 Grand Prix racer for Auto Union, while the related Auto Union Type 52 was a separate road-car concept that was never completed in its original era. Audi later built a one-off reconstruction from archival material; it is not a surviving 1930s car.
Two different cars sit behind the story
The confusion comes from two projects linked by Auto Union and Porsche’s engineering office. The first was a competition car built for Grand Prix racing. The second, called the Type 52 or Schnellsportwagen, was a proposed fast road car that borrowed ideas from the racer.
- Auto Union Grand Prix racer: a purpose-built competition car developed by Ferdinand Porsche’s Stuttgart office under a 1933 commission.
- Auto Union Type 52: a planned, road-going three-seat sports car whose project was abandoned in 1935 before a verified period example was built.
So the memorable 16-cylinder Porsche connection is real, but describing it as Porsche building a production supercar blurs the distinction between the racer and the unbuilt road-car proposal.
How the racer and Type 52 came about
Auto Union was formed in 1932 through the merger of Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. In spring 1933, it commissioned Ferdinand Porsche’s design office to create a Grand Prix car for the 750 kg formula. Porsche internally called its design Type 22; Auto Union’s competition car became known as Type A.
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Porsche reports that the first test drives took place in November 1933. The car began racing in 1934, and Porsche says it set three world records in its first season. Audi describes a V16 layout with a Roots supercharger mounted behind the driver, along with torsion-bar front suspension and trailing arms. Audi reports power rising from 295 hp in the Type A to 520 hp in the Type C. These racing specifications and achievements belong to the Grand Prix cars, not to the Type 52 road-car concept.
In late 1933 and 1934, Porsche’s office also drew up the Type 52. Its engine and drivetrain concept drew on the Type 22 racer, but the road car was intended to be more usable: the plan reduced compression and the Roots-supercharger gear ratio so the engine could run on regular gasoline at lower output. Project managers decided to build a test car, but Audi says it apparently never materialized. The Type 52 project was abandoned in 1935.
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What the Type 52 was meant to be
Audi describes the Type 52 as a street-legal sports sedan for customers who might use it in long-distance events such as the Mille Miglia or endurance races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. A factory racing role was also discussed. Its planned layout combined a mid-mounted supercharged 16-cylinder engine with a roof, headlights, luggage space, and two spare tires.
The cabin was designed for three, with the driver seated centrally. That arrangement and the practical equipment point to a car intended to bridge road and competition use, rather than simply copy the open Grand Prix racer. Audi says the designers sought both sporty dynamics and everyday suitability.
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- [SPECIFICATION]: 1 segment: 1/4oz, 1 strip: 12 segments, 1 box: 4 strips; 4 segments, 12oz in total
- [ANTI-CORROSION]: Electro-galvanization and multi-layer omnidirectional plastic spraying prevent rust and corrosion. Lead-free zinc coating ensures wheel weights withstand harsh weather for long-lasting durability
- [WIDE APPLICABILITY]: Tire balance weights offer secure and balanced driving experience for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs. These wheel weights stick on perfectly for balancing. Ideal for hobbies, crafts, and other daily life uses. Tire weights stick on ensure versatility across multiple applications
- [SUPERIOR QUALITY]: Precise wheel weights with strong adhesive ensure firm attachment. Four-season tape with wide paper backing provides easy peeling and perfect sticking. Low profile wheel weights design contours to any wheel shape for optimal fitment. Eco-friendly powder-coated steel delivers durability
- [COMMITMENT]: Sposuit tire balance weights come with comprehensive warranty and dedicated customer support. Our tire weights undergo rigorous quality testing. If you have any concerns about missing components or product quality, contact us for prompt resolution
Planned Type 52 specifications versus Audi’s reconstruction
The planned car’s figures are not specifications for the modern reconstruction. Audi’s one-off uses a different, larger Type C engine and has altered dimensions. The figures below distinguish the 1930s plan from the car Audi presented in 2024.
| Detail | Type 52 as planned | Audi reconstruction |
|---|---|---|
| Intended use | Street-legal sports sedan; customer long-distance events and a possible factory racing role | One-off reconstruction, model year 2023 |
| Engine | Supercharged, mid-mounted 16-cylinder; 4,358 cc | Type C 16-cylinder; 6,005 cc |
| Output | 200 PS at 3,650 rpm | 520 PS at 4,500 rpm |
| Fuel | Regular gasoline | 50% methanol, 40% super unleaded, 10% toluene |
| Speed figure | 200 km/h design target, not a recorded test result | No top speed stated by Audi |
| Unladen weight | 1,300 kg | 1,450 kg |
| Wheelbase | 3,000 mm | 3,315 mm |
| Build status | Concept; no verified period-built car | One-of-a-kind reconstruction completed in 2023 |
Audi says the reconstruction’s Type C engine is unrestricted, unlike the lower-output engine envisioned for the Type 52. Technical constraints led to a longer wheelbase, and silver was chosen because no period body color is documented. Audi lists no top speed for the reconstruction, so the planned 200 km/h figure should not be treated as its measured performance.
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- [SPECIFICATION]: 1 segment: 1/2oz, 1 strip: 6 segments, 1 box: 4 strips; 24 segments, 12oz in total
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- [WIDE APPLICABILITY]: Tire balance weights offer secure and balanced driving experience for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs. These wheel weights stick on perfectly for balancing. Ideal for hobbies, crafts, and other daily life uses. Tire weights stick on ensure versatility across multiple applications
- [SUPERIOR QUALITY]: Precise wheel weights with strong adhesive ensure firm attachment. Four-season tape with wide paper backing provides easy peeling and perfect sticking. Low profile wheel weights design contours to any wheel shape for optimal fitment. Eco-friendly powder-coated steel delivers durability
- [COMMITMENT]: Sposuit tire balance weights come with comprehensive warranty and dedicated customer support. Our tire weights undergo rigorous quality testing. If you have any concerns about missing components or product quality, contact us for prompt resolution
Was the Porsche Type 52 ever built?
There is no verified completed Type 52 from the 1930s. Audi says the planned test car apparently never materialized and the project ended in 1935. The surviving record does not establish a definitive final configuration, and no finished period example or verified contemporary account is known.
Audi Tradition commissioned Crosthwaite & Gardner to construct a one-off car from surviving archival documents, plans, and sketches. Completed in 2023, it was presented publicly at Goodwood in 2024. Because important original details remain unknown and the reconstruction differs from the planned specification, it is best understood as an interpretation of the concept—not an untouched survivor or an exact replica of a known completed original.
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- [SPECIFICATION]: 1 segment: 1/4oz, 1 strip: 12 segments, 1 box: 48 strips; 576 segments, 144oz in total
- [ANTI-CORROSION]: Electro-galvanization and multi-layer omnidirectional plastic spraying prevent rust and corrosion. Lead-free zinc coating ensures wheel weights withstand harsh weather for long-lasting durability
- [WIDE APPLICABILITY]: Tire balance weights offer secure and balanced driving experience for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs. These wheel weights stick on perfectly for balancing. Ideal for hobbies, crafts, and other daily life uses. Tire weights stick on ensure versatility across multiple applications
- [SUPERIOR QUALITY]: Precise wheel weights with strong adhesive ensure firm attachment. Four-season tape with wide paper backing provides easy peeling and perfect sticking. Low profile wheel weights design contours to any wheel shape for optimal fitment. Eco-friendly powder-coated steel delivers durability
- [COMMITMENT]: Sposuit tire balance weights come with comprehensive warranty and dedicated customer support. Our tire weights undergo rigorous quality testing. If you have any concerns about missing components or product quality, contact us for prompt resolution
What the reconstruction can—and cannot—tell us
The modern car makes the Type 52 proposal tangible, but its existence does not prove that the original reached production or that every reconstructed detail matches a finalized 1930s design. Its engine, output, wheelbase, fuel, and top-speed record must be kept separate from the planned Type 52 figures. The distinction also explains why Audi’s reconstruction can have 520 PS while the road-car plan called for 200 PS: the reconstruction uses the unrestricted Type C engine.
Audi Tradition head Stefan Trauf described the project as a way to get people excited about “design and technology.” After his first test drive of the reconstruction, Hans-Joachim Stuck called its sound “incredibly sonorous – like it came from an orchestra.” These are remarks Audi reported in its 2024 release, not period testimony or independent performance testing.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Audi Tradition: “Imagined over 90 years ago, now brought to life: Audi Tradition presents the Auto Union Type 52”, 11 July 2024.
- Porsche Engineering: “Innovative by tradition: 90 years of engineering services by Porsche”, 23 April 2021.
- Audi: “History of the Four Rings”, publication date not stated.
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