From Auto Union to F1: Audi Takes Over the Streets of Milan

[Source: FuoriConcorso]

There are not many automakers that can put nearly 90 years of performance history on display and still have the newest cars be every bit as interesting as the oldest ones. Audi did exactly that during the recent FuoriConcorso Monza, bringing some remarkable machines from its past, present, and future to the heart of Milan.

Held alongside the Italian Grand Prix weekend, FuoriConcorso Monza transformed Milan’s MonteNapoleone District into an unlikely open-air celebration of motorsport. Six cars were displayed across three venues, but for Audi fans, four machines in particular told an incredible story.  

90 Years of History

At one end of the timeline was the Auto Union Type D, representing the fearsome Silver Arrows that helped establish the company’s racing reputation before World War II. It was joined by the recreated Auto Union Lucca, a streamlined V16 machine based on the car Hans Stuck drove to a 326.975-km/h (203.2-mph) road-speed record in 1935.

Jump forward roughly nine decades and Audi’s newest racing adventure was represented by the R26. Audi’s first Formula 1 car was displayed at the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi alongside a Ferrari 126C and Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid. The timing couldn’t have been better, with the Audi Revolut F1 Team competing just a few miles away at Monza during its inaugural Formula 1 season.

The new Nuvolari completed the Audi contingent at the company’s Via Monte Napoleone space. The Nuvolari represents a very different expression of Audi performance. But parked among machines spanning nearly a century, it also looked like the latest chapter of the same story.

That’s what made Audi’s presence at FuoriConcorso particularly special. The Type D and Lucca demonstrated where the brand’s obsession with speed began. The R26 showed where Audi is competing today, while the Nuvolari offered a glimpse at how that performance philosophy could translate to the road.