Audi's Supercharged V16 Were Deadly Fast

[@VisioRacer]

Hey guys, you love these videos. Would you be interesting to see them in advance on Patreon? www.patreon.com/visioracer

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

How marvellous you are doing this video! Even though I'm very familiar with the cars and the history (having worked for Audi for 19 years) I still liked the neat, concise, easy to follow way you told the story. Obviously this is primarily a channel about engines (and by the way, everyone always gets carried away about power but you made the very important point about the beefy torque!) - and although we got to hear it a few times, it's a TIIINY bit of a pity not to fit in a few secondsof its crackles on the overrun - a few moments were captured of the car at Goodwood which is ironic as there are sequences avaliable of it disappearing with just the exhaust popping like crazy. We are so used to it nowadays - it's just programmed into the ECU - but there was an opportunity to include that in the film and hear the real McCoy - rather than the electronically conjured version. And with 16 cylinders and those incredible straight-through exhausts, it really is quite something!🥰❤

[@jedgarsquink]

I believe that's Horch, not Horst. The word means "hark" or "listen" in German, which is also what "audi" means in Latin.

[@xGxPhantomZzz]

Jup

[@hansw5067]

That is wat I think too.

[@gufo_tave]

Because it is. Look at 1:21, bottom-left badge

[@altergreenhorn]

Also the name Horch was sold or something like that that's why they used latin version of it namely Audi

[@xGxPhantomZzz]

@@altergreenhorn Horch is still in the VAG, they will produce higher equipped S8s soon. Audi is trying to match Maybach wth Horch, but we will all know that that will go nowhere.

[@mpetersen6]

A rare combination of OHC and pushrod valve operation.

[@michaelpielorz9283]

Alfa doesn`t count because being not Nazi !!

[@mikebell2750]

Thanks for putting together another great video on unique vehicles. It’s hard not to love the sound of those V16 engines ❤

[@oneginee]

??? They sound like shit, that is the biggest issue with them afaiac. pushrod low reving supercharged will always sound like shit.

[@eggreedgious5194]

What a neat piece of engineering. I'm really impressed by the intake underneath the camshaft and the combination of SOHC and pushrods. The maximization of space is very satisfying.

[@andyharman3022]

I really admire the spirit of whoever allowed them to run a V16 AutoUnion in the snow. It's the best possible way to demonstrate the sound of the V16 at low speed while getting the car sideways with the dual rear wheels. This is something I NEVER expected to see in my life.

[@szymon6207]

Pre-war from 1886-1949. Could you Mod f1c ?

[@jspoons6619]

As far as I understand the V16 cars that are run today are replicas built in the UK for Audi from the original plans only a few original cars are still to be found . like he said Auto Unions factories were in the Eastern part of German so were in the soviet zone at the end of WW2. with that most of those cars vanished into the soviet union and have never been seen again. the y could just be well hidden in a private Russians collection or some forgotten storage warehouse. Mercedes had far more luck hiding their cars even managing to sneak some cars back out of their hiding places in East Germany . to this end Mercedes have far more original Silver Arrows than Audi has. I think some of those Auto Bahn speed records still stand till this day even with the current Hyper cars running around today 432,7 Km/h (268.6 Mph) still the highest recorded speed on a public road to this day and done from a standing start. this was the same weekend that Auto Union lost their star drive while attempting to beat this new record even after Mercedes had said the conditions were to unsafe because of high side winds. some other stupid record set by later Silver Arrows record cars in later years 1937/8. with less powerful cars but with better streamlining. I quote from official Mercedes sources "Caracciola set the following international class records for Class D (displacement of between 2 and 3 litres) in the Mercedes-Benz W 154 record car: over a Kilometre from a standing start he reached 175.1 km/h, over a mile from a standing start 204.6 km/h; he then managed 398.2 km/h over a Kilometre with a flying start and 399.6 km/h for the flying-start mile." but we will never know if the ultimate child of Auto Union and Mercedes could have taken the absolute world speed record that was planed one a completely built sections of Autobahn for 1939 with Porsche heading the design of the next Mercedes record project the Spaceage look T80 with 4 drive wheels six wheels in total. Featuring a DB Aircraft engine outputing over 3500 Hp to beath the then Landspeed record they needed a car the could go beyond 600 Km/h that would have been mind blowing in 1939. but has we know other events in Germany put an end to such dreams instead WW2 started.

[@amundbjerve]

@@jspoons6619 As far as I know, the official record set by Caracciola in a Mercedes in 1938 stood until 2017 when Niklas Lilja beat it in a Koeniggsegg. Having your record stand from 1938 to 2017 isn't bad at all...

[@drewmurray2583]

I get goosebumps when I hear a really good sounding engine like that

[@Flies2FLL]

V16's sound like nothing else. They put V12's to shame!

[@jkaufman357]

Those things did have a lovely howl!

[@carwashadamcooper1538]

The Aryans always know how to make one shiver. it's up to you if that's a good shiver or not.

[@blackrifle6736]

@@carwashadamcooper1538 *it is always a righteous and affirming shiver. Cheers!*

[@NLynchOEcake]

This was a very satisfying episode, ever since buying the car in Gran Turismo for a pittance and using it to slaughter my way up to the highest ranks, I've had a fascination with this masterpiece of engineering that was made before WWII. There wasn't a whole lot of good information around the internet about this vehicle, it's refreshing to have such a deep dive into the history

[@jkent9915]

FASCI🫡NATION

[@donaldvincent]

CMC makes a wonderful model of this car. I have one. I think they go for $300 or so nowadays. You can even remove the spark plugs and they also sell the engine to display separately. Included in the box is a booklet full of details about this car.

[@Emppu_T.]

One of the most interesting cars ever since 4.

[@IgorLapa]

As you are interested in that car - check out the history of the Darracq HP 200. That might be interesting for you, even it is pre WW1

[@IgorLapa]

@@jkent9915 i never thought so far about that word

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

To average 269 mph in 2 passes over a 1-mile distance on the autobahn in 1937 using a 386 ci block is difficult to do 86 years later.

[@hugejohnson5011]

It sure is, hey?! I don't know about the streamliner for the record attempts, but those formula cars had a weight limit of 750 kgs. without tires! Insanely lightweight, with the 600+ ft. -lbs. that those later engines were making. Imagine that torque in a car that weighs half of what a modern little tin box weighs?!

[@Terraceview]

@@hugejohnson5011 You could barely ever use full power, only above crazy speeds.

[@hugejohnson5011]

@@Terraceview Oh, for sure! And we won't mention trying to throw out the anchor, with what I can only reckon were big finned drum brakes! All while carefully dancing on those skinny little tires.

[@ATruckCampbell]

@@hugejohnson5011 I bet these cars could be competitive today if given proper width race wheels and tires. Those pizza cutters are suicide.

[@hugejohnson5011]

@@ATruckCampbell Yeah, I'm sure that plenty of people can't even conceive that there was high horsepower available so long ago. Coupled with the light weight, those things were rockets, and, as you've brought up, with modern tires and wheels, would be a huge improvement! As in, very significantly improving the performance. Even fast forward to the '70s and '80s. The power of the Formula 1 cars was way more than they allow them to have now, and the cars got so fast and knife edged with the ground effects era that the tires didn't keep up, and the rules were changed to get rid of ground effects chassis/cars so as to slow them down. Too many bad accidents resulted from a momentary loss of downforce, with the cars sent flying, and people being wrecked or killed. Going back to the cars shown in this video, with your sticky tires on them, I bet they really would be quite a race car! They weighed nothing ,and are even comparable to the cars of today, weight wise. And to think of how far F1 cars have come, I don't even think they had seat belts until the late '60s or thereabouts! Crazy!

[@skucera8116]

It was Audi, Wanderer, DKW, and Horch… not Horst. Great episode, Visio! Keep up the great work.

[@VisioRacer]

Yeah, my mistake for wrong reading

[@177GearBreak]

@@VisioRacer but it was ten times funnier with Horst XD

[@tettazwo9865]

How many languages do you speak without any accent?

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

Ich musste so lachen... Horst ❣️👌🏼😂🤣

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

​@@VisioRacerIt was so funny 🤣 "Horst" is a very special name in Germany 😅 When somebody is a little bit stupid...we say "what a Horst" ❕ Btw. I love your passioned videos, with all the details ❣️👌🏼 Love from Berlin 🇩🇪 Ramsi 😘🙋🏻‍♂️

[@CaptHollister]

Imagine racing one of these narrow-tired monsters in the rain. Brave men.

[@AnthroGearhead]

Call my insurance agent, and my family, tell em i love them 😬

[@clueless4085]

Crazy men. All the respect. It's brown stain inducing even in a sim.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@CaptHollister - Rudi Caracciola was the finest driver of his time in the rain. This skill earned him the nickname Regen-Meister (Master of the Rain). If it was raining at the start of a GP, other drivers reportedly took bets, not on who would win the race, but by how far Rudi would win! He was that good.

[@princesssolace4337]

it's not brave men, they didn't know/have anything better. It's normal for drivers of dat era.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@princesssolace4337 - Well, they were still brave to willingly accept the life and death challenge of racing at the time!

[@K-Effect]

5:27 I never thought I would see one of these drifting in the snow on a horse racing track

[@rosscullen531]

Love every video you make for years!

[@mikejohnson5900]

Another well done and well explained look at auto racing history. Thanks.

[@larstragl146]

...Horst... 😁 🤣 Please don't take it personal dear VisioRacer, I love your videos and when it comes to engine details I'm definetely overstrained, but this is too funny.

[@metalstorm91291]

0:35 5:25 6:23 10:34 For your listening pleasure.

[@Zach-ju5vi]

Thank you. That engine sounds so good.

[@dye46]

More than just 2 superchargers -- 2 stage supercharging (different size/RPM impellers) was very high-tech at the time and was turned out to be a pretty big deal in fighter aircraft at little bit later.

[@blackrifle6736]

*Gov't-funded covert R&D proved very effective in technology transfer to other programs. That's how the game is played. Cheers!*

[@Loulovesspeed]

@dye46 - Actually, the Type C Auto Union had a single supercharger with twin vertical rotors, fed through two Solex carburetors. The Alfa Romeo Type B, P3 GP car had dual Roots-Type superchargers.

[@bobcoats2708]

I always loved the Auto Union pre-war V16s. Beastly engines! Thank you for a very entertaining video. Keep up the good work!

[@edwardwong654]

Some of the most iconic racing cars ever, along with Mercedes. They are beautiful to look at.

[@Zach-ju5vi]

I love the history and details. Another great video Viso.

[@Ashcrash82]

These Auto Unions have my all-time favorite engine sound. Such a raspy growl...

[@ThePontiacgto65]

The vintage images are incredible. great topic

[@johnyoung1606]

In the Year 2000 I was surprised to find one of these lovingly put back together after it had been taken Russia from Germany after WWII and they took it apart to see how it ticked... The parts were about to be scrapped and a group of Latvian automobile enthusiasts scraped enough money to get the parts and put it back together... I heard that The Porsche Group had offered a lot of money and other things to get it back....I took a lot of photos of it,,, I will be returning this summer and will try to see the private collection again !!!!

[@napalmholocaust9093]

I've driven two cars that could squawk the tires between third and fourth gear going 180 kph. One was a 1,500 dollar chevette with a 7 something liter coming through the firewall and the other was an expensive new Saleen Cobra. You can do this for pennies if you drop a dump truck engine in a coupe too.

[@dodoz44]

Most importantly, make sure you're using shit tires.

[@MrPPunch69]

Oh really, you bragging american loudmouth. With which (US) car you could do this in 1934?

[@Loulovesspeed]

My late Father's 1968 Galaxie 500 XL with a 390 2 bbl. and C-6 automatic would easily chirp the tires between first and second gear!

[@bobhill3941]

Amazing video as usual, I loved all the history and specs. I love these. I chose to drive an Auto Union Type D in Forza Motorsports 7.

[@yodasbff3395]

Thanks for the great video. 👍

[@mullman]

Saw the Autounion V16 at the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum a few weeks ago. Amazing.

[@blackrifle6736]

*Lucky you! Have yet to visit Bavariapark since it opened and must do so. Cheers!*

[@chriskappert1365]

That sound is only second to the BRM V16 ! ❤

[@kevincraven4038]

Lucky enough to witness one of these 1992 European Grand Prix, at Donnington Park. They ran a demonstration before the GP, unfortunately the driver lost it as he approached us thru Craner Curves and ended up in the gravel trap! 😐

[@jcgabriel1569]

Hm, that may have been Neil Corner. I think the man owned a D Type _and_ a W154 Mercedes at the time...

[@JohnMcPhersonStrutt]

That V16 produces a form of music.

[@AlexHalt100]

Horch was merched into the Autounion, not Horst.

[@josealbinosantosnogueira6013]

The company was not called Horst but Horch.

[@TTime685]

These old 30s era race cars were just plain awesome. I remember my grandfather having a couple of little toy "hotwheels" (not sure the brand) sets that came in cases in the shape of these spoked wheels. I used to love playing those. Man I wish I could find a set today

[@thunderbeam9166]

Can you imagine if the FIA stopped being the FIA and let those monsters come back. Instead they’re focused on very questionable calls and marching towards turbocharged lawnmower engines. 2024 season. Lewis Hamilton debuts his new Mercedes…with a twin turbo 479 cc Briggs & Stratton V twin out of a riding mower.

[@szymon6207]

A need to nazis ? Let s find out !

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

F1 is dead. The FIA killed it by making the wrong rules to keep speeds down for 25 years or more. They introduced smaller engines, no turbos, grooves in tyres, bolting planks of plywood to the underneath etc. What they should have done is limiting downforce by reducing aerodynamic grip. We could still have proper engines and there would be actual overtaking on the track. Now the aerodynamicists are set to destroy MotoGP too!

[@thunderbeam9166]

@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 I miss the 3.5 V8s, V10s and Senna’s V12 monster. The cars starting getting pretty stale and don’t have the same diversity in my opinion.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

@@thunderbeam9166 I gone off F1 a long time ago after following almost religiously. On one Sunday I watched F1 followed by MotoGP. There was not a single car being overtaken on the track (and it wasn't even Monaco) while at the MotoGP race the lead changed 12(!) times on the last lap alone! To be fair it was an exceptionally good bike race and an exceptionally bad F1 (what do expect at the Hungaroring as that race was or Monaco?) but still...

[@Redmenace96]

We all ask for this. F1 doesn't want to do it because 'cost'. Why can't we have a market disruptor series? Prototype-open class autos and motos? Any engine, any chassis, any design you want to run? Don't show up, if you think it is too costly. Do we need a billionaire to take an interest? maybe. Would motorsport fans watch in the millions? Yes.

[@ilcylic]

That's so incredibly Mad Max.

[@idlehands1238]

The size of those steering wheels! I guess they needed the leverage before power steering was invented.

[@vintageman91]

I knew about these cars before but over 400 km/h in the 1930s. Thats crazy.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

You know what is really crazy? During that record session on stretch of newly built Autobahn one of the drivers (I forgot which one and also if it was a Mercedes or Auto Union) said that the steering got 'light' above 300km/h. When they developed a photograph taken of his run it became clear why: The front wheels lifted clear off the ground and functioned more as rudders than wheels. They still pushed on to well over 400km/h setting a speed record for public roads that stood for over 70 years.

[@sikais17]

@@gustavmeyrink_2.0if i remember correctly Bendz made 432km/h after Auto Union 427km/h . Auto Union tried brake record again and many say they probably brake the Merc but Auto Union got sidewind on straight and Rosenmayer lost control. That was end of this cars.

[@gnosticbrian3980]

It is not an Audi - it is an Auto Union.

[@Redmenace96]

The vintage footage was worth the click. Very well presented, and thank you. The torque numbers are astounding! (at 2700 rpm?)

[@VisioRacer]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@VideoDotGoogleDotCom]

6:23 That is one mighty impressive roar!

[@willieckaslike]

One half of the so called "SILVER ARROWS", I believe. The other half was & MERCEDES-BENZ (I believe) WII6 but please forgive me if that is incorrect .

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

How mad/brave were these chaps taking a 630bhp supercharged V16 racecar out on skinny crossply tyres.

[@thomascranston8503]

The title "Hitler Didn't Expect This" is ignorant. Hitler indeed did champion Audi over Mercedes because Audi was for the working class. Mercedes was for the Aristocracy. Hitler and the German aristocracy had a mutual disdain for each other.

[@johncmitchell4941]

Interesting DeDion tube rear suspension. Now that's classic.

[@fafner1]

The DeDion was on the 12 cylinder D type, the 16 cylinder C types used swing axles. The rear weight bias and the swing axle made for diabolical handling. Bernd Rosemeyer's success in driving the C-type has been attributed to his previously being a motorcycle racer who had no preconcieved notion of how a race car should handle. Tasio Nuvolari also started out as a motorcycle racer.

[@jaredkennedy6576]

That thing sounds brutal.

[@aveedub7403]

Ohhhh God i love the sound of those engines, incredible, hairs stand on air!!! Shame we cant see these for real more often, such as F1 meetings!!!

[@delahayenator]

Nice vid as you always do. Small error, Horst should be Horch

[@Loulovesspeed]

The V16 cars are not technically referred to as Audi. They are Auto Union cars, the company created from the merging of Audi, Horch, Wanderer and DKW. That is what the 4 circles intertwined stand for.

[@hugejohnson5011]

Great video! Keep it up! I have known much of the history of these automobiles for quite some time, and I am never surprised by how involved the Porsche family was/is in the sports car history of Germany, and more than that, was able to use their engineering expertise and apply it to military tanks, and many other types of equipment. Perhaps you could do a video which highlights some of the diverse machinery that Ferdinand Porsche designed. I think it would be of interest to some of us gear heads!

[@chuckselvage3157]

They sound awesome.

[@TitansilverVideos]

Great video thanks again Visioracer👌

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

The men what drives these Rockets, with these tires without seatbelt and safety features, must be really hero's ❣️😲 I think that is applicable for all motorsports driver's till in the 1990's 💪🏼😁

[@timwright8785]

Have always wanted to see this car unbelievable engineering

[@garyk1334]

Tyvm for a fascinating vid , well done & much appreciated 👏

[@gregrowe1168]

The early days of F1 racing the drivers were brave indeed. Those cars offered little protection in a crash. Nobody walked away from a bad crash like they do now. I guess you could say that about all forms of early moto sports.

[@jcgabriel1569]

There were many instances of drivers walking away from big crashes back then...

[@Loulovesspeed]

​@@jcgabriel1569 - I'll go along with "some", but not many in "big" crashes! Remember, no seat harnesses then and drivers were thrown out in the vast majority of big crashes, killing the vast majority of them!

[@markmcgrath9098]

Epic. Absolutely epic. Thank you.

[@kennethm.pricejr.8921]

This is the most sophisticated piston engine design I have ever seen.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@kennethm.pricejr.8921 - Look up another spectacular engine design - The 1954-55 Mercedes W196 R, 2.5 liter straight 8. It was fuel injected and featured 2 pairs of 4 cylinders mated together. To reduce the torsional vibration inherent in straight 8 engines, the power was taken off the midway point between the front and back 4 cylinders. Its Desmodromic valve system was mechanically actuated without the use of RPM limiting valve springs, making it possible to rev this engine beyond 9,000 rpm, a figure thought impossible at the time. This too was a very technically sophisticated engine. As a sideline, it also produced one of the most stirring sounds of any automobile engine regardless of size!

[@carlnapp4412]

I'm afraid it's not an Audi. Auto Union's Silver Arrows were built by Horch in their factory. The experience in building high-end cars was used to build those masterpieses. Thank you so much for your technical explanatins.

[@_..-.._..-.._]

Imagine modern blowers on that with nitromethane as fuel! 😮😮😮

[@hugejohnson5011]

Those superchargers on that car aren't really any different than any Roots type blower now. As for fuel, I think they were using some exotic cocktail made with a bunch of benzine, and that is why the raw fuel that was purged from the wastegate into the atmosphere made the other guys' lungs bleed. BMW racing motorcycles from back then, with superchargers, used exotic benzine fuel as well, and the leakage from the fuel cap on the bikes, would make the riders sick and goofy! I know that it isn't nitromethane, but I thought I'd mention it.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

They pretty much all used nitromethane back then. I didn't realize until I went to Goodwood and witnessed a 1925 Bugatti Type 35 go up that hill. The smell of nitromethane is unmistakable.

[@hugejohnson5011]

@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 Um, no.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 - Nitromethane was not yet created back in the 1930s. It was created as a super high octane fuel for drag racing in the 1950s. What you smelled from that Bugatti was indeed nitro, but as a very small % of the fuel to give it a bit of octane boost.

[@MrZillaman73]

The Greatest Economic Recovery in Human history in Germany happened from 1933 but is unknown in today's society??

[@edwinheintjes9285]

Not "Horst" but "Horch". "Horch" and "Audi" both kinda mean the same ("hear") and both were founded by the same man, August Horch. After he left Horch he started Audi.

[@joeambaye8681]

Another's excellent topic and video👌

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

It's so sad, what happened with the German car industry today ‼️😔 For me as German, Porsche is the only one brand where I can be a little bit proud ❕ Love from Berlin 🇩🇪 Ramsi 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@divinehatred6021]

Arent you proud in ALPINA? I think what they make is *beautiful.*

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

@@divinehatred6021 Alpina just tunes BMW's ❕🤷🏻‍♂️ Sure, they make beautiful things... but the base is a BMW. When BMW's have problems, Alpina can't fix it 😅 I'm not a BMW fan.

[@divinehatred6021]

@@Ramsi-Berlin They really dont just "tune" BMW, no, they make pieces of art out of BMW, and they ensure that the increased performance not only reliable, but also more comfortable than everything that Germany can offer.

[@divinehatred6021]

@@Ramsi-Berlin yeah, the fun part is that im not a BMW fan either. Before i found out what ALPINA actually is, i was the big Porsche-only fan. ALPINA's approach on creation of cars is just *so* different. And they still repair/service their creations from 90s and 00s to this day, instead of abandoning them like BMW would.

[@divinehatred6021]

When BMW had problems in engines, transmisson, and general reliability - thats exactly what ALPINA did to them: they were *removing* those problems completely, essentially always making awesome everyday cars with over-the-top performance and comfort.

[@ThomasD1962]

That sound... No electric car will ever sound like this! Great piece btw, well done!

[@42lookc]

INDEED!

[@carlosandleon]

speaker

[@divinehatred6021]

@@carlosandleon Nope

[@carlosandleon]

@divinehatred6021 yeah, you can

[@divinehatred6021]

@@carlosandleon you have been brainwashed buddy

[@nicholasagnew2792]

That engine would even work in a semi truck, pure genius

[@vvevvevvvv]

Yeah, but the truck would've been very unreliable.

[@garethjudd5840]

AUDI. Also stands for, Always Under Diagnostic Investigation.😂

[@Loulovesspeed]

It also means "Hello" in the Western United States! LOL "Audi partner"

[@nick_dizzle]

A dully race car😂 I love it!

[@las3k91]

As you said racing programs were co-financed from the budget of the Third Reich - but the importance of these subsidies, amounting to about 10% of total costs, is usually overestimated. 10% of the cost of racing programs, not entire companies!

[@mpetersen6]

People have speculated that the German government benefited in its aviation engine sector from the racing support. Not so according to one of the Mercedes engineers.

[@mrspandel5737]

​@@mpetersen6 I am inclined to believe the engineers. Grand Prix racing would have diverted valuable funds away from the aero engine development for the sake of classic Nazi dickmeasuring.

[@blackrifle6736]

@@mpetersen6 *Absolutely correct in the first instance. Technology Transfer as a concept existed before it had a name. Pity that MBz dude. Decades later and the answer to: "What did you do in the War" is one MBz and others must still tiptoe around. I don't blame them, was just a job. Cheers!*

[@Duppavich]

The chassis looks a bit flexy. Cool video mate 👍

[@finscreenname]

Just a single hoop roll bar would have saved so many lives.

[@PeteRedgrass]

Not without seat belts, it wouldn't!

[@Where_is_Waldo]

I love the dually wire wheels.

[@Loulovesspeed]

For hill climb cars only, GP cars were single rear wheels.

[@Where_is_Waldo]

@@Loulovesspeed Interesting

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@Where_is_Waldo- You are limited on how wide you can make a bias-ply tire and that's all that existed then. When we learned how to make radial-ply tires, then much wider single tires could be made. 😀

[@samsonian]

I read a while ago the cylinder heads were metallurgically tested sometime in the last 40-50 years and they were somewhere in the range of quality of aluminum of modern lawn chairs.

[@yuglesstube]

Really?

[@bocahdongo7769]

@@yuglesstube it was early days of aluminum utilization. It was only getting better 10 years after that

[@stephenscholes4758]

Crap.

[@Draco_Alpha]

can you imagine what a fully modernized version of one of these would be like? big, sticky tires, aero, and disc brakes i bet would make this car even more insane. and add fenders... you'd have a car that would be like a Viper crossed with a Ferrari, but with twice the output. lol

[@jamesdyson7126]

Great Video ! Who doesn't like the AU Type C ? !

[@monsieurcommissaire1628]

The Auto-Union V16 sounds amazing. Nothing sounds like a racing V16, of which there have been so few. Auto-Union, BRM... that's all I can think of at the moment. Were there any other racing V16 engines besides those two?

[@Xayuap]

hoho, good Visio, dat Driver61 surely would want themes lik these.

[@Emppu_T.]

The opposition did nut-c it coming. Good video

[@BlackCat-nv5sf]

Thankyou VR

[@nicholasagnew2792]

There is a pretty good Hagerty article about this car, or moreso the engine

[@philiptownsend4026]

I've been waiting a long time for you to do this one so a big thank you for a super production. It is such a shame that most of the cars were lost into the Soviet Union, I would have dearly loved to see one up close to examine such a super piece of engineering. Of course these cars were only made possible by gaining the support of possibly the world's most evil dictator and the enormous amount of money required to develop them came from some very dubious sources. They are tainted cars but nonetheless impressive achievements. It is probably for the best that Rosemeyer lost his life in the car when he did, he was a very brave man and drove it despite well knowing it's huge instability at speed due to faulty aerodynamics, a subject not well understood back then. Rosemeyer did not have a good immediate future ahead of him, he probably knew that and decided to dedicate and give his life to the gods of speed rather than wait for the inevitable death planned for him. A talented, brave and admirable man. He must not be forgotten.

[@McLarenMercedes]

"most of the cars were lost into the Soviet Union". Few Auto Union race cars ended up in the Soviet Union. Fact is that quite a few of them were chopped up during the war to augment any shortage of lighweight materials the German forces needed, others stowed away inside buildings which later were bombed by allied aircraft and yet others either were dismantled by their racing teams or forgotten somewhere... "Rosemeyer did not have a good immediate future ahead of him, he probably knew that and decided to dedicate and give his life to the gods of speed rather than wait for the inevitable death planned for him." Well, that makes little sense because "the gods of speed" took his life and denied him any future.

[@philiptownsend4026]

​@@McLarenMercedesRosemeyer was Jewish. The Nazis tolerated him driving for Auto Union because no other driver could match him in that car. But when they needed him no longer he would have been off to a slave camp or murdered in the gas chamber. He chose a noble death in the car. That is what I was talking about. I made a special journey to Vienna Museum of Technology to see the only Mercedes GP car of the period on public display. I would make a similar pilgrimage to see an example of that Auto Union. Incidentally, your reply to me came across as a little aggressive, did you intend that?

[@Nihil1st1347]

That company wasn't called Horst. Although it sounds funny. It was called Horch, which is the equivalent to Audi aus a latin word.

[@nopadelik9286]

well, gonna give Visioracer still some credit for perfectly pronouncing Horst 😄👌

[@joshgreen2164]

The music it makes though!!

[@scottdelong1]

Yikes! That twin tube frame on the Auto Union looks to have the torsional rigidity of a garden hose.

[@jcgabriel1569]

It is actually pretty good, they don't have much of a problem with them.

[@Brommear]

The Auto Union V16 had a swing axle rear suspension - like the VW Beetle - which caused serious handling problems. Imagine a Beetle with 500+hp! The story I heard was that Rosemeyer, who used to be a motorcycle racer, was the only driver who really mastered the car as he thought that all cars handled like that! Probably not true, but still...

[@adamkoller5411]

At least they had the mindset to move to DeDion rear suspension for the type D. Insane vehicle in all incarnations!

[@jcgabriel1569]

The drivers who managed to do better with these cars were Rosemeyer, Nuvolari, and even Achille Varzi, who all had motorcycle racing backgrounds, and Hans Stuck, who is a hillclimb exponent. Both motorsports require drivers with a very sensitive touch to their controls...

[@wobblybobengland]

As an English anarchist, I dream of a usurper gerring on the track with a 6000cc V24 drag racing superbastard with completely the wrong maniifold pressures and bodyparts-of-spectators-hanging-from-the-trees levels of power and torque.

[@Terraceview]

It wasn't a "Nazi" car, it was just a racing car. A little disappointed with you click baiting there Visio (it's working from the comments).

[@fafner1]

It's a bit more complicated. The Nazi's through the German motor club ran racing in Germany. All Jewish drivers quickly lost their jobs. Dr. Prosche (Hitler's favorite engineer) went on to design tanks for the fuhrer.

[@wiegraf9009]

It was literally funded by Nazis and built by companies that went on to use slave labour pressed into service by Nazis. It's not an unfair description.

[@blackrifle6736]

*Agreed, but that is the only way to views and monetisation. Cheers!*

[@wingonglingou2042]

Wrong. Hitler took keen interest in motorsport and influenced Mercedes to demolish the competition. Therefore it is not a clickbait.

[@FyodorUshakovSuka]

​@@blackrifle6736+ Russians stole it. They did it what russia has done the best in world: Stealing and lying.

[@edwinblank58]

Your title is an insult to the engineers in those days.

[@duhdardar624]

i can’t remember properly and i don’t feel like googling but i think they had one with the 1700hp faulker wolf engine

[@andyharman3022]

No. The Focke-Wulfe 190 used a BMW 801 radial engine in its first three versions, then an inverted Jumo 213 V12 in the fourth.

[@shaft9000]

_"No, no. We'll have none of this going round and round just to win silly trophies; we're too busy building a Utopia(n nightmare) here."_ - Stalin, 1945

[@Loulovesspeed]

The Russians however took a keen interest in the German racers after securing Berlin, stole them and hid them away!

[@derxKai]

If some of you will travel to Germany, check out the Mercedes Benz and Porsche Museum. They´re not to far apart from each other and well worth a visit. Cheers

[@blackrifle6736]

*Agreed. Then head southeast to Munich and the Deutsches Museum's Aircraft and Vehicles Collections. Well worth the drive. Munich rocks!*

[@keithstudly6071]

About the dual rear wheels. I had seen photos of the cars in this configuration when they were being used in hill climb events but not in Grand Prix competition. Is that correct? In any case it was a ridiculous amount of work those rear tires were being asked to do. Had they developed a limited slip differential or were they running a locked rear?

[@jcgabriel1569]

Limited Slip differential were already a thing by the 1930s. It is a bit crude, but it works very well. Search "Cam-and-pawl differential"...

[@Loulovesspeed]

@keithstudly6071 - They were used only in hill climbing to try and improve traction on the typically loose gravel roadways. Didn't need them on GP circuits that were essentially flat and better surfaced.

[@Kinuhbud]

that shit was life-threatening even for the fans. there's video of a car crashing into a crowd with no barrier at all. we can glorify the old days, but they could also be pretty dumb and reckless back then.

[@Loulovesspeed]

Dumb and reckless is a bit unfair. The track owners were finally forced to make safety improvements after much campaigning against them by Jackie Stewart.

[@jamesengland7461]

The next boosted 16 cylinder German car to break 400kph? The Bugatti Veyron.

[@AnthroGearhead]

I got one of these things in Forza Horizon 4, terrifying when your near the limit, had to install larger brakea and tyres just to balance them Ohh i also used the TCS 🤫

[@luiscarlosvieira3966]

It's not an Audi.... it's an Auto Union....

[@Commander-McBragg]

I don’t think the USSR did much with the tech they stole. Their cars were shit.

[@Andre_Thomasson]

Tatra?

[@VisioRacer]

Tatra is not a product of the USSR, one of the oldest automotive companies ever

[@fafner1]

@@VisioRacer Tatra is an interesting case. Tatra's chief engineer, Hans Ludwinka, sued Dr. Porsche in a Czechoslovakian court for patent infringement over the design of the Volkswagen. The suit became moot after Porsche's patron, Adolph Hitler, conquered Czechoslovakia. After WWII the suit was refiled and in 1965 VW payed Tatra a million Deutsche marks to settle.

[@alphakky]

I object you calling Porsche and Auto Union as National Socialist, otherwise known as Nazi.

[@pseudonym5136]

Me too.

[@fafner1]

Dr. Porsche was a Nazi party member as well as a honarary officer in the SS. He was widely regarded as "Hitler's favorite engineer".

[@wiegraf9009]

Porsche is still quite evasive about their activities during the Nazi era. The company was not run by Nazi ideologues but they benefitted from the Nazi government.

[@blackrifle6736]

*Rightly so. Cheers!*

[@Loulovesspeed]

At the very least, they were both heavily influenced by The National Socialists! If the shoe fits, wear it!

[@skylighteffect]

🇩🇪 Not Horst 😂-Horch📌 "Horch" is German and means 👂(listen) and so with Auto Union it becomes Audi which also means s.th. in common with listening, audio etc.🔉 Good Work ❤

[@pseudonym5136]

As far as I know,the Name Horch came from August Horch.He later was forced out of his own Company,and wanted to take Revenge,and started a new Car Building Company.Since he was not allowed to use his Name,he translated his last Name into Latin,which is Audi.(from the Latin Word Audio)

[@skylighteffect]

@@pseudonym5136 yes... I think so too 📌 But my explanation wasn't referring to the question where the name Horch had his origins or where it come from.

[@keltonfoster]

Was the deep skirts and rubber used as dampers?

[@lawrencemarocco8197]

That was real racing. No roll bars or seat belts. Linen helmets. Body english instead of super-sticky tires. Fuel mixtures that would melt your shoes. And engine sounds like no others.