The inspiration for the Audi theme this year was an anniversary: the sporty line of roadsters from Auto Union first developed 80 years ago. With the 1932 merger of Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer into Auto Union AG, sportiness became an established brand value. A convertible two-seater was then developed for each of the brands, and these were debuted in 1935. Three of these sports cars are among the highlights at the Audi stand.
One is the elegant Audi Front 225 Roadster with an elongated hood. Because of the 7,950 Reichsmark price tag for this car, plans for low-volume production did not pan out. In the end, only two prototypes were constructed. The exhibit is an exact replica on a contemporary Audi front chassis.
The DKW F 5 Roadster fulfilled the desire of many customers for a small, two-seater sports car and particularly appealed to young drivers with sporty driving ambitions. In all, 407 models left the production halls. The DKW on exhibit dates from 1937.
With a year’s delay, Auto Union also introduced a roadster from the Wanderer brand – the development work for the six-cylinder compressor engine took longer than originally planned. A vintage 1937 roadster can be viewed in Essen. The timeless elegance of the design of the Wanderer W 25 K was just as thrilling back then as it is today.
Three NSU motorcycles that were highly successful in racing can likewise be seen there: the NSU 500 SSR, NSU Rennfox and NSU Sportmax. A faithful replica of the NSU “Renndienst” racing service bus from Volkswagen joins the ensemble of motorcycles from NSU’s racing history.
