Audi has brought one of the wildest machines in its family history back to life: the Auto Union Lucca, a streamlined V16 record car from 1935. The original car earned its name from the Italian city of Lucca, where it ran on a straight section of autostrada and recorded an average speed of 320.267 km/h, or about 199 mph, over a flying-start mile. Its measured top speed was even more shocking: 326.975 km/h, or just over 203 mph.
The Lucca was part of Auto Union’s prewar “Silver Arrow” era, when Germany’s top racing programs were pushing speed, aerodynamics, and engine technology to extremes. Auto Union, the ancestor of modern Audi, was formed from Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer—the four companies represented by Audi’s four-ring logo. Its racing cars were closely associated with Ferdinand Porsche’s engineering work and used powerful rear-mounted 16-cylinder engines that made them unlike nearly anything else on the road or track.
What Made the Auto Union Lucca So Extreme
The original Lucca was not a conventional race car. It was a record machine unlike nearly any other in motorsports history specifically designed to slice through the air at speeds that still sound absurd nearly 90 years later. Its enclosed wheels, long tail, smooth bodywork, and narrow cockpit gave it the appearance of a land-speed aircraft more than a car. Audi says wind tunnel testing of the recreated car showed a drag coefficient of 0.43, impressive considering the age of the original design and the limited tools engineers had in the 1930s.
For the recreation, Audi Tradition used a 6.0-liter V16 from the Auto Union Type C race car, producing 512 horsepower. The finished car reportedly weighs about 2,116 pounds, giving it an astonishing power-to-weight ratio even by modern standards. Audi also made certain changes for reliability, including improved ventilation and updated mechanical details, but the spirit of the car remains rooted in the original record-breaking machine.
Detail: 16-cylinder-engine with supercharger.
The car was rebuilt by Crosthwaite & Gardiner, the British historic racing specialists that also helped Audi bring the never-built Auto Union Type 52 to life in 2024. The Lucca project took more than three years and relied on surviving historical records, photographs, and engineering data. MORE: How Audi Dominated SCCA Racing with a Boring Sedan.
Why Audi Brought It Back
The original Audi Lucca disappeared during World War II, likely dismantled for parts or captured and lost by occupying forces. But Audi’s reason for rebuilding the Lucca is bigger than nostalgia. According to Audi Tradition, the company did not have original Auto Union record or Grand Prix cars from that early era in its historical collection, despite that period being central to the brand’s engineering identity. Recreating the Lucca gives Audi a physical link to one of the most daring chapters in its past and ensures the history of Audi remains visible as it forges it’s own future.
It also comes at a time when heritage matters more than ever. Modern Audi is known for technology, luxury, EVs, and quattro all-wheel drive, but the Lucca reminds people that the four rings were once tied to some of the fastest and most advanced cars on earth. The recreated car was unveiled in Lucca, Italy, the same place where the original made history in 1935, and it is expected to appear at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Auto Union Lucca is not just a museum piece. It is a reminder that automotive history has always been driven by obsession. It is sometimes beautiful, sometimes dangerous, and often complicated. In the 1930s, speed was about engineering prestige, national pride, and technological dominance. Today, Audi’s recreation lets that story be seen, heard, and understood again.
