Audi History

The history of Audi is one of the most diverse in automotive history. In 1932, the four brands of Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer amalgamated to form Auto Union AG, with the symbol of the four rings as the company emblem. This merger made Auto Union Germany's second-largest car manufacturer in the 1930s. The wide-ranging brand portfolio that was synonymous with the four rings at that time is represented in Essen by the following exhibits: the exclusive Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet with 12-cylinder engine (120 bhp at 3200 rpm) from 1932, the nippy two-seater DKW F5 Roadster (20 bhp at 3500 rpm) from 1937, the sporty and elegant Wanderer W 25 K Roadster (85 bhp at 4000 rpm) from 1938, as well as a best-selling model from 1939, the Audi 920 Cabriolet with a 6-cylinder in-line engine (75 bhp at 3000 rpm). Rekindling memories of DKW's motorcycle glory days, meanwhile, is the DKW UL 700 sidecar combination from 1936: this was the year that this very combination won the German Championship, before going one better in 1937 and taking both the German and the European Championships.

At the 19th Techno Classica, Audi Tradition is showcasing three motor sport rarities from the time before Audi quattro turned rally sport on its head: the winner of the 1954 European Rally Championship, the "Rallye Monte Carlo" edition of the DKW 3=6 Sonderklasse F 91, the Audi 80 GLE Group 2 rally version from 1979, as well as the Audi 80 GLE, winner of the 1980 European Touring Car Championship.