Audi Revives 1935 Land Speed Record-Breaking V16 Supercar for 2024 Festival of Speed

Audi Tradition has commissioned a meticulous recreation of the 1935 Auto Union Type A 'Lucca,' a legendary land speed record car that shattered records with a top speed of nearly 203 mph (327 km/h) on an Italian public road. The original vehicle, named after the Italian town near its record-breaking run, toppled a previous record set by Rudolf Caracciola in a Benz just months earlier.

This modern evocation, boasting a 520-hp V16 engine, will make its debut at this year’s Festival of Speed. The revival comes from a period when Audi’s predecessor, Auto Union, was locked in a fierce speed battle with Mercedes’ Silver Arrows, unencumbered by modern speed limiters or regulations.

Record-breaking performance in context:

• Original car’s top speed: 203 mph (327 km/h) in 1935
• Engine output: 338 hp (343 PS) from a 5.0-liter, 16-cylinder unit
• Average car speed in 1935: Struggled to reach 50 mph (80 km/h)
• Modern benchmark: 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S tops out at 200 mph (322 km/h)

The original Lucca disappeared after World War II, likely lost behind the Iron Curtain in communist Russia. To recreate it, Audi Tradition turned to UK specialists Crossthwaite and Gardiner, who previously built the Type 52 for the brand’s heritage division. The three-year project relied on a handful of archival documents and a wealth of original photographs, as no complete blueprints survived.

The result is a stunning homage to 1930s engineering, with a body sculpted for aerodynamic efficiency. Features include covered wheels, a smooth canopy, and a tapered tail—design elements that predated widespread adoption of aerodynamic science in road cars by decades. Every fraction of a Cd coefficient was critical for achieving record speeds in the 1930s.

While the recreation stays faithful to the original, it incorporates subtle modern improvements adapted from later Auto Unions. These include:

• An upgraded 6.0-liter V16 engine producing 513 hp (520 PS) for enhanced reliability
• An improved ventilation system to prevent overheating, inspired by Auto Union’s innovations at the AVUS race in Berlin (May 1935)

The 960 kg (2,116 lbs) Lucca is theoretically faster than the original, though Audi has no plans to test its top speed. Instead, the silver one-off will be put through its paces at the Festival of Speed, showcasing a pivotal moment in automotive history.