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After test drives in October 1934 with the Grand Prix racing car on the AVUS in Berlin, the Auto Union racing department started developing the vehicle that would later be known as the “Lucca” car. Just a few weeks later, in December 1934, it was presented during initial test drives on the AVUS. The record attempts were planned in Hungary but were moved to Italy at the last minute due to bad weather. The one-kilometer and one-mile records were targeted to be broken with a flying start on a five-kilometer stretch between Pescia and Altopascio. Test drives took place on February 14, 1935, and the next day, on February 15, the car piloted by Hans Stuck performed as planned and was heralded the “world’s fastest road-going car.” With a speed of 326.975 km/h reached near Lucca, the vehicle broke 26 world records and 13 international class records. The “Anniversary Dates 2025” booklet contains several additional anniversaries to discover, including 25 years of the first Audi victory at Le Mans and 25 years of Audi allroad quattro, 35 years of Audi duo hybrid vehicles, 40 years of fully galvanized bodies in large-scale automotive engineering, 50 years of the Audi 80 GTE, 55 years of the Audi 100 Coupé S, 60 years of the NSU Prinz 1000 TT and NSU Type 110, 75 years of the first post-war DKW passenger car, and 90 years of the Horch 850 series. A complete overview of the anniversary booklet is available in the Audi MediaCenter.

With the NSU 6/60 Kompressor sports car, the brand achieved a quadruple class victory on the Avus in 1926. Models such as the Wankel Spider or the TT touring car further enhanced the sporting record in the sixties and into the early seventies. Pioneering achievements in the first half of the century August Horch achieved an early success by winning the Herkomer-Fahrt in 1906. Audi then proved its long-distance qualities on the most adventurous mountain passes in Europe at the time. Conquering the Alps was a great challenge in the early days of the automobile. From 1912 to 1914, Audi won a total of eleven first prizes over the course of three editions of the International Austrian Alpine Rally and thus also the coveted Alpine Challenge Cup. A heyday followed after the founding of Auto Union in 1932 from the Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer brands. The spectrum was diverse and ranged from long-distance driving and off-road sports to solo and sidecar motorcycles, off-road sports bikes and record-breaking machines. In 1938, Ewald Kluge was the first German to win the legendary Tourist Trophy motorcycle race with DKW. The Auto Union racing cars from the Type A to the Type D revolutionized Grand Prix racing between 1934 and 1939 with their mid-engine concept. The single-seaters from Zwickau achieved 24 victories, 23 second places and 17 third places in 61 circuit races. The popular hill climbs and world record races completed the program. In addition to the engine layout, the lightweight construction, the optional streamlined bodywork and engine charging systems and thus up to 520 hp of power stood for extreme technology.

With the NSU 6/60 Kompressor sports car, the brand achieved a quadruple class victory on the Avus in 1926. Models such as the Wankel Spider or the TT touring car further enhanced the sporting record in the sixties and into the early seventies. Photo: DKW 3 = 6 Sonderklasse displayed its sporting talent in the European Rally Championship Pioneering achievements in the first half of the century August Horch achieved an early success by winning the Herkomer-Fahrt in 1906. Audi then proved its long-distance qualities on the most adventurous mountain passes in Europe at the time. Conquering the Alps was a great challenge in the early days of the automobile. From 1912 to 1914, Audi won a total of eleven first prizes over the course of three editions of the International Austrian Alpine Rally and thus also the coveted Alpine Challenge Cup. A heyday followed after the founding of Auto Union in 1932 from the Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer brands. The spectrum was diverse and ranged from long-distance driving and off-road sports to solo and sidecar motorcycles, off-road sports bikes and record-breaking machines. In 1938, Ewald Kluge was the first German to win the legendary Tourist Trophy motorcycle race with DKW. The Auto Union racing cars from the Type A to the Type D revolutionized Grand Prix racing between 1934 and 1939 with their mid-engine concept. The single-seaters from Zwickau achieved 24 victories, 23 second places and 17 third places in 61 circuit races. The popular hill climbs and world record races completed the program. In addition to the engine layout, the lightweight construction, the optional streamlined bodywork and engine charging systems and thus up to 520 hp of power stood for extreme technology. Photo: August Horch wins the Austrian Alpine Rally with the Audi Type C

Surrounding an open, tree-lined square are the vehicle delivery center, the forum with the Market Restaurant and the Avus Restaurant on the first floor, the museum, and the “Market and Customer” building. years 25 Audi Tradition 10 Anniversary Dates 2025 Presentation Audi duo In the fall of 1989, Audi developed the first generation of the Audi duo based on the Audi 100 Avant (C3) in collaboration with Pöhlmann KG, based in Kulmbach. This pioneering model made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1990. The vehicle was an Audi 100 Avant quattro equipped with a five-cylinder fuel-injected engine producing 100 kW (136 hp), combined with a 12.6 hp direct current electric motor mounted on the rear axle. This innovative setup demonstrated the feasibility of hybrid vehicles capable of emission-free driving over short distances. The electric motor drew power from a 181 kg nickelcadmium battery pack with a capacity of 64.8 volts and 8.4 kWh. The battery could be fully recharged in ten hours using a standard 220-volt household outlet. 35 years Audi Tradition 11 Anniversary Dates 2025 First Appearance Audi Coupé S2 In September 1990, Audi unveiled the Audi S2, the flagship model of the Coupé range, at the British Inter national Motor Show in Birmingham. Finished in striking Ginster Yellow, the S2 was designed to succeed the legendary Audi quattro, which had been in production for a decade. The ancestor of all subsequent Audi S models was powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder, four-valve engine. With a displacement of 2,226 cm³, it delivered 220 hp at 5,900 rpm, propelling the aerodynamically optimized coupé to a top speed of 248 km/h. A significant technical update in 1992 boosted engine output to 230 hp at 5,900 rpm. A newly developed six-speed manual transmission transferred power to the wheels. And power was abundant – thanks to the “Overboost” feature, which temporarily increased turbo boost pressure, maximum torque surged to 350 Nm at just 1,950 rpm.

Just one year later, Hans Stuck set a world record driving the car on the AVUS circuit in Berlin. When the innovative Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz race cars burst onto the international racing scene, the legend of the Silver Arrows was born. Swift as an arrow, these legendary powerhouses captivated audiences with their futuristic design and revolutionary technology. While Mercedes-Benz favored front-mounted engines, Auto Union was the first to place the engine behind the driver. This mid-engine layout remains the standard in Formula One today. In the years that followed, Auto Union set several world records, winning numerous hill climbs, three German championships, and the European championship in 1936 with the advanced Auto Union Type C. And the rest is history... Or maybe not quite, as one part of the story has yet to be told. Few people know that while the Grand Prix race cars were being developed, Auto Union AG and the Ferdinand Porsche design office also planned a street-legal sports sedan. The concept papers called the vehicle “Schnellsportwagen”, apparently its intended marketing name. Today, with its distinctive characteristics, the car most closely resembles a classic Gran Turismo. The Auto Union Type 52, as the project came to be known, was intended to be sold to customers for driving in long-distance races such as the Mille Miglia or in sports car competitions such as the endurance races at Spa-Francorchamps or Le Mans. There was also talk of the car being a factory race car. Sporty dynamics and everyday suitability are listed in the Auto Union Type 52 design specifications As early as the end of 1933, the Porsche design office drew up the first design sketches, which took on a more concrete form in 1934. The project managers decided to build a test car – but as far as we know today, it never materialized. The project was abandoned in 1935, and its trail lost in the archives of Audi and Porsche. But the developers left much groundbreaking work on paper.

The forged and milled 21‑inch wheels are reminiscent of the so-called “AVUS wheel”, which Audi unveiled in 1991 on the Audi Avus quattro study. With its clear and uncompromising lines, this iconic wheel belongs to the DNA of the Audi brand. The entire wheel surface is matte and darkened for the RS e-tron GT performance, which intensifies the vehicle’s sporty ambitions. The interior: Sporty elements and sustainable materials Audi’s new CI also shapes the interior with redesigned seats, steering wheel, entry sills, and digital content. The light projection from the door has also been adapted. When the driver’s door opens, a red diamond with a red shadow appears; the S version features a white diamond with a red shadow. New wooden inlays in natural linear anthracite birch are available for the e-tron GT family; for the RS e-tron GT performance, they are also available in matte carbon camouflage to match the exterior. New interior features include applications in Vanadium, an anthracite-colored effect finish that appears differently depending on the lighting. The applications are available as an option for the S e-tron GT and come as standard in the RS models. The new e-tron GT versions have a steering wheel flattened at the top and bottom. For the RS models, the steering wheel comes with two red control satellites and optionally with a 12 o’clock marking. The seats have also been upgraded.

The Auto Union racecar made its first official appearance at the AVUS in Berlin on March 6, 1934, with Hans Stuck at the wheel. A few weeks later, on May 27, 1934, the Auto Union Type A, as it was called internally, made its debut on the international racing scene, ushering in the booming era of the Auto Union Silver Arrows.

The car’s sporty features included 17” Avus alloy wheels, a sports chassis, sports exhaust, roof-edge spoiler and a six-speed gearbox as well as various visual modifications and Recaro sports seats as standard. With a top speed of almost 240 km/h, the S3 was one of the fastest compact sports cars, but it also offered plenty of room for four passengers and a reasonable amount of luggage. In contrast to the purely mechanically controlled quattro drive concept in the B, C and D segment, the S3 had a transverse engine platform and used the hydraulically controlled Haldex system that subsequently also became a well-known feature on Volkswagen models. This principle only delivers power to the axle with the better traction when there is corresponding slippage; normally power is only sent to one axle. Audi Tradition 6 Anniversary Dates 2024 In October 1994, Audi presented the successor to the Audi 80 series in the form of the Audi A4. During an economically uncertain period, Audi pinned great hopes on this new model, which was made ready for production in a record time of just 26.5 months. All expectations were smashed by the most rapid launch of a new series in the company’s history. Alongside the great commitment from the employees, this was primarily down to the simultaneous engineering that was implemented consistently in the development and preparation of the series. When the Audi A4 saloon was launched on the market in November 1994, it was available with six different engines and in four quattro versions. As well as featuring innovations like the four-link front axle or new five-valve petrol engines, it also succeeded in reversing the spiralling trend for increased weight. Every version of the A4 was much lighter than the previous model. Audi A4 Years 30 Audi Tradition 7 Anniversary Dates 2024 Years 30 Following the unveiling of the Audi A8 and the high- volume Audi A4 model, the previous Audi 100 series was also renamed the Audi A6.