What: Auto Union Type A Rekordwagen “Lucca Car”
Era: Auto Union Silver Arrow Grand Prix Cars
Manufacturer: Auto Union AG (Chemnitz, Germany)
Model Family: Auto Union Type A
Year: 1934, 1935
Era: Auto Union prewar
Production: Experimental record vehicle
Number Produced: 1 (plus exhibition replica)
Debuted: December 17, 1934 – AVUS test presentation
Record Event: February 15, 1935 – Autostrada near Lucca, Italy
Driver: Hans Stuck
Class: Land speed record racing car
Designer: Ferdinand Porsche (P-Wagen design lineage)
Body style: Fully enclosed aerodynamic “Racing Limousine” record car
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4,951 cc V16 supercharged
Power output: 343 hp at 4,700 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Top speed: 326.975 km/h (203.2 mph)
RELATED
Grand Prix Cars: Auto Union Type A (1934), Auto Union Type B (1935)
Record Cars: Auto Union Stromlinienwagen AVUS streamliner
Drivers: Hans Stuck
OVERVIEW
The Auto Union Type A Rekordwagen, commonly known as the “Lucca Car,” was a specialized high-speed record vehicle developed from the Type A Grand Prix racing car during the winter of 1934–1935. Built by Auto Union’s racing department following the Silver Arrow program’s debut season, the car represented an early effort to demonstrate the extreme performance potential of the revolutionary mid-engined Auto Union design.
The project emerged after the Type A achieved significant attention during the 1934 racing season and record runs at Berlin’s AVUS circuit. Seeking to capitalize on the publicity generated by the new V16-powered Grand Prix cars, Auto Union engineers began developing an aerodynamic record version capable of achieving unprecedented speeds on public highways.
DEVELOPMENT
Work on the record car began in late 1934. The engineering team adapted the mechanical architecture of the Type A Grand Prix car while creating an entirely new streamlined body intended to reduce aerodynamic drag at very high speeds.
For aerodynamic development, Auto Union collaborated with the Aeronautical Testing Institute in Berlin-Adlershof, where wind tunnel testing helped refine the car’s smooth, fully enclosed bodywork. The resulting vehicle, nicknamed the “Racing Limousine” by contemporary automotive journalists, featured a streamlined silhouette designed to maximize stability and minimize air resistance at speeds exceeding 300 km/h.
The car was first presented publicly on December 17, 1934, during a demonstration at the AVUS track in Berlin, where Auto Union racing director Willy Walb conducted initial test drives to evaluate the vehicle’s behavior at speed.
ENGINE AND CHASSIS
Mechanically, the Lucca record car remained closely related to the Type A Grand Prix racer. The vehicle retained the innovative mid-mounted V16 engine, a configuration that placed the powerplant behind the driver but ahead of the rear axle, an arrangement designed to improve weight distribution and traction.
The supercharged 4,951 cc V16 engine produced approximately 343 horsepower at 4,700 rpm, delivering enormous power for the era. As with the Grand Prix car, the five-speed transmission was mounted behind the rear pendulum axle, which was guided and sprung by a transverse leaf spring.
Despite the added aerodynamic bodywork, the car maintained a curb weight of just over one metric ton including the driver, enabling extremely high speeds on long straight road sections.
RECORD ATTEMPTS
Initial plans called for the record attempts to take place near Győr, Hungary, under arrangements with the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club. After conducting preliminary test runs on February 6, 1935, the Auto Union team abandoned the location due to poor weather conditions.
The team then moved further south to Italy. A section of the Bergamo–Brescia Autostrada was first considered but ultimately deemed unsuitable for record attempts.
Auto Union’s racing management eventually selected a five-kilometer stretch of the Florence–Viareggio Autostrada near Lucca, between the towns of Pescia and Altopascio. This straight section of roadway provided suitable conditions for attempts at 1-kilometer and 1-mile speed records with a flying start.
Testing began on February 14, 1935, with final record runs conducted the following day.
THE LUCCA RECORD
On February 15, 1935, Auto Union works driver Hans Stuck piloted the streamlined record car to a speed of 326.975 km/h (203.2 mph) on the Italian autostrada near Lucca.
This achievement established the Auto Union record car as the fastest road racing car in the world at the time, highlighting the extraordinary performance of the Silver Arrow program only months after its debut season.
The record runs also demonstrated the effectiveness of the aerodynamic development work carried out in Berlin’s wind tunnel facilities.
BERLIN MOTOR SHOW DISPLAY
While Stuck pursued record attempts in Italy, Auto Union simultaneously leveraged the achievement for publicity. A near-exact replica of the Lucca record car was displayed at the 1935 Berlin Motor Show, allowing the public to see the streamlined machine while the original continued its testing and record program.
The display reinforced Auto Union’s growing reputation as one of the leading forces in international motorsport during the early Silver Arrow era.
LEGACY
The Lucca record car represented one of the earliest examples of aerodynamically optimized high-speed racing machines, foreshadowing the streamlined Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz record cars that would dominate speed record attempts later in the 1930s.
More broadly, the project highlighted the technical potential of the mid-engine Auto Union Grand Prix design, which would go on to influence racing car architecture for decades.
Today, the Lucca record car stands as a fascinating and little-known chapter in the early history of the Auto Union Silver Arrows, bridging the gap between Grand Prix competition and the pursuit of outright speed records during one of the most innovative periods in motorsport history.
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