{"id":4663,"date":"1937-12-11T18:53:00","date_gmt":"1937-12-11T18:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ooooiykyk.com\/audiarchives\/?p=4663"},"modified":"2025-12-19T20:37:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:37:54","slug":"auto-union-type-c-1936-1937","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ooooiykyk.com\/audiarchives\/1937\/12\/11\/auto-union-type-c-1936-1937\/","title":{"rendered":"Auto Union Type C (1936\u20131937)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MODEL DETAILS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What:\u00a0<\/strong>Auto Union Type C Grand Prix<\/a>
Manufacturer:<\/strong> Auto Union AG, Racing Department (Horch Works, Zwickau)
Genre \/ Series:<\/strong> Grand Prix Racing
Category:<\/strong> 750 kg Formula
Era:<\/strong> Auto Union prewar<\/a>
Model Family:
Market \/ Zone:<\/strong> Germany
Season:<\/strong>\u00a01936<\/a>, 1937<\/a>
Model \/ Generation Code(s):<\/strong> Type C<\/a>
Chassis \/ Matrix:<\/strong>
Designer:<\/strong> Ferdinand Porsche<\/a> (P-Wagen design lineage)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TECHNICAL DETAILS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Body Style(s):<\/strong> open-wheel single seat racecar
Chassis Type: <\/strong>Tubular ladder-type frame with aluminium bodywork
Drivetrain Configuration:<\/strong> longitudinal rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine(s):<\/strong> Supercharged V16, 45\u00b0 bank angle
Displacement:<\/strong> 6.0 litres (5,990\u20136,016 cc depending on version)
Valvetrain:<\/strong>
– Single overhead camshaft per bank
\u2013 32 valves total (2 intake, 2 exhaust per cylinder)
\u2013 Pushrod-actuated exhaust valves via overhead tubes
Fuel: <\/strong>High-octane racing blend (typically 70\u201380% methanol with acetone, benzene, ether, and castor oil variations)
Induction:<\/strong> Roots-type supercharger (~0.7 bar \/ 10 psi boost)
Power: <\/strong>approx. 520 hp (390 kW) @ ~5,000 rpm
Torque: <\/strong>
Cooling:<\/strong> Front-mounted radiator with plumbing routed through chassis tubes (later revised due to leakage issues)
Top Speed: <\/strong>330\u2013340 km\/h (205\u2013211 mph) depending on gearing and circuit
Transmission(s): <\/strong>5-speed manual racing gearbox, Rear transaxle integrated with final drive
Differential:<\/strong> ZF limited-slip differential (introduced late in 1935; used throughout 1936\u201337)
Wheelbase:<\/strong> approx. 2,700 mm
Width:<\/strong> approx. 1,480 mm
Length: <\/strong>approx. 4,200 mm
Height:<\/strong> approx. 1,000 mm
Track: <\/strong>(front\/rear): approx. 1,300 \/ 1,300 mm
Weight (dry):<\/strong> \u2264 750 kg (regulatory limit; actual build ~ 740\u2013750 kg)
Tires:<\/strong> Racing cross-ply tyres from Continental
Wheel Size:<\/strong> Varied by circuit (approx. 19-inch wheels typical)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: Dimensions varied slightly depending on circuit and hill-climb bodywork.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DRIVERS (SELECTED)<\/strong>
\u2022 Bernd Rosemeyer \u2013 European Champion, 1936
\u2022 Achille Varzi
\u2022 Hans Stuck
\u2022 Ernst von Delius
\u2022 Rudolf Hasse<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Auto Union Type C<\/strong> is a Grand Prix racing car developed for the 1936 and 1937 European Championship seasons under the 750-kg formula<\/strong>, and represents the pinnacle of the mid-engined V16 design lineage created by Ferdinand Porsche<\/strong> for Auto Union. Campaigned during the height of the German \u201cSilver Arrows\u201d era, the Type C became the most successful machine ever fielded by Auto Union, securing multiple Grand Prix victories, dominating hill climbs, and helping launch the legendary career of Bernd Rosemeyer<\/strong>. With its six-litre supercharged V16 engine producing approximately 520 hp<\/strong>, the Type C embodied the extreme engineering of prewar Grand Prix racing and remained a technical milestone long after its competitive life ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auto Union\u2019s racing programme originated with Porsche\u2019s P-Wagen project<\/strong>, which proposed a radical mid-engined layout inspired in part by earlier concepts such as the 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen. After receiving state-backed motorsport funding announced by Adolf Hitler in 1933, Auto Union acquired Porsche\u2019s project and established a dedicated racing department at the Horch works in Zwickau<\/strong>. The resulting Auto Union racing cars\u2014Types A, B, C, and later D\u2014were all constructed to the 750-kg weight limit and represented some of the most advanced racing machinery of their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1936, successive development of the Type A (1934) and Type B (1935) culminated in the Type C<\/strong>, which enlarged Porsche\u2019s supercharged V16 engine to the maximum practical displacement permitted by the weight formula. The car was designed to achieve the highest possible power output while staying within the 750-kg mass limit, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio that remains extreme even by modern standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Type C<\/strong> featured a distinctive rear mid-engine layout<\/strong>, placing the supercharged V16 behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle\u2014decades before mid-engined designs became standard in Formula One. The layout provided improved traction under acceleration and reduced the polar moment of inertia, though at the cost of challenging handling characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key engineering features included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n