The 18th Techno Classica this week in Essen, Germany

The 18th Techno Classica exhibition beginning in Essen, Germany later this week is the world’s largest classic auto show, with more than 1000 exhibitors and 150,000 visitors expected over the five day show (5 to 9 April 2006) to peruse amongst other things, the more than 2000 collectors cars that will be for sale, making Essen temporarily the largest classic car salesroom in the world. Similarly all the major manufacturers participate with fabulous displays to show off their glorious past. Mercedes Benz will be participating with a massive 1,500 square metre stand dedicated to the new Mercedes Benz Museum that opens next month in Stuttgart, centred around a replica of the first motor car. Audi will also be present, with its focus based on the company’s glorious competition heritage. It will be showing a 16-cylinder 1936 Auto Union Type C racing car, along with an impressive display of other rare gems from the brand’s past. The 380km/h Auto Union Silver Arrow developed 520 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and won the European Championship, the equivalent of today’s Formula One World Championship, seventy years ago. Extensive image library of this remarkable car inside.

The four rings of the Audi badge symbolise the brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, which were later combined under the umbrella of Auto Union. Auto Union and NSU, which merged in 1969, made many significant contributions towards the development of the car. AUDI AG was formed from Audi NSU Auto Union AG in 1985. Together with the two traditional companies Auto Union GmbH and NSU GmbH, Audi Tradition nurtures and presents the deep and diverse history of Audi.

Accordingly, the marque’s display at Essen will involve a wide array of cars from the pre-war era including:

The Wanderer Streamline Special, a two-seater roadster featuring an aluminium body, won the team title in the Liège-Rome-Liège long-distance race in 1939.

The Wanderer W 25 K six-cylinder two-seater from 1936.

In the 1930s, Horch stood for elegance, cultured motoring and top production quality. The Horch 930 V Cabriolet of 1939, featured a 3.8-litre engine with 92 horsepower and reached a top speed of 130 km/h.

The Horch 930 S, a prototype with a ground-breaking streamlined body which was presented by Auto Union AG at the Berlin Motor Show in 1939.

Audi Tradition is also commemorating the DKW and Audi brands’ successful tradition of front-wheel drive which began 75 years ago. Auto Union established front-wheel drive in the mid-size class from 1933 with the Audi Front model. On view at the Techno Classica will be the Audi Front Type UW, a sports convertible built in 1933, and an elegant Audi Front 225 Special Cabriolet from 1937, of which just 25 models were built in its time.