Audi Tradition recreates 1935 record-breaking Auto Union Lucca, reveals in Italy
Audi Tradition has recreated the 1935 record-breaking Auto Union Lucca, which set a flying-start mile record of 320.267 km/h, and unveiled it in Lucca, Italy.
326.975 km/h
320.267 km/h
520 PS (382 kW)
What Happened
Audi Tradition has recreated the Auto Union Lucca, a record-breaking car from 1935, and unveiled it in Lucca, Italy, in early May 2026. The car set a flying-start mile record on February 15, 1935, achieving an average speed of 320.267 km/h and a top speed of 326.975 km/h, earning the title 'fastest road racing car in the world.' The Rennlimousine (racing sedan) joins the Silver Arrow family in Audi's historic vehicle collection.
Car completed in Zwickau workshop.
First test drive on Berlin's Avus circuit.
Test runs near Budapest; exhaust pipe burns through.
Record attempt near Lucca, Italy; mile record set.
Avus race in Berlin; both Rennlimousinen retire early.
326.975km/h
Measured over a kilometer during the record run.
“Audi does not yet have any Auto Union racing or record-attempt cars from the early Grand Prix era in its historic vehicle collection. With the Auto Union Lucca, we are adding a highly evocative member of the Silver Arrow family to the AUDI AG collection.”
Why this matters
The recreation adds a historically significant Silver Arrow to Audi's collection, showcasing early engineering innovation and the brand's racing heritage.
Terms in This Story
- Silver Arrow
- Nickname for the silver racing cars of Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz in the 1930s.
- Rennlimousine
- German term for a racing sedan, used for the streamlined record car.
- Flying-start mile
- A speed record measured over one mile from a rolling start, not from a standstill.
- Avus
- A race track in Berlin, Germany, used for motorsport events in the 1930s.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.