With the Type C, from 1936 Auto Union sent a 750kg Formula racing car into competition that could stand up to the established marques, above all Mercedes-Benz. The car, developed by Ferdinand Porsche, featured as a key design characteristic the revolutionary arrangement of a 16-cylinder V engine behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle.
The engine was supercharged by a Roots-type supercharger and, in its third development stage, the Type C, produced 520 hp at 5000 rpm.
The sheer power demanded the utmost sensitivity and absolute driving skill from the pilot.
None other than Bernd Rosemeyer, the new star of Grand Prix racing, mastered this racer so skilfully and confidently that from 1936 he rose to become the undisputed top driver, racing from victory to victory for the marque with the four interlocking rings.
So the combination of the brilliant Type C racing car and the young driving talent Bernd Rosemeyer, with 5 Grand Prix wins and the crowning achievement of the European Championship title, became the success story of 1936.
In 1937 too, Bernd Rosemeyer was the superior driver with his Type C, again winning 5 races and thereby continuing to prevent Mercedes from gaining unchallenged dominance.
CHF 340.-
