Audi’s V16-powered record-breaker is back

By Ryan Standen

| 21 May 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Audi’s V16-powered record-breaker is back

Audi’s latest car isn’t that new at all.

The Auto Union Lucca is a V16-engined recreation of a 200mph-plus record-breaker that’s been lost since WW2.

The reborn Lucca – or Rennlimousine, as it was also known – will be seen in action for the first time at Goodwood Festival of Speed, from 9-12 July 2026.

On 15 February 1935, German ace Hans Stuck piloted the original to a top speed of 326.975kph (203.17mph) on a stretch of autostrada near Lucca, the Italian city that lent the Auto Union its name.

The original Auto Union Lucca was one of the first cars to break the 200mph barrier

Using historical documents and photographs from Audi’s archive, Ingolstadt’s heritage department commissioned British firm Crosthwaite & Gardiner to build the replica.

The revived streamliner has been tested in Audi’s wind tunnel, where it achieved a drag coefficient of 0.43Cd.

In the 1930s, the Lucca was one of the first racing cars developed in a wind tunnel: engineers used the Berlin-Adlershof Aeronautical Research Institute’s facility to create the dramatic shape.

The Auto Union Lucca’s spectacular bodywork was recreated using original drawings and old photographs

At the time, the specially built Auto Union represented the latest chapter in the marque’s fierce battle with compatriot Mercedes-Benz for top-speed supremacy.

After the three-pointed star set a series of record-breaking runs in Hungary in 1934, Auto Union responded with the yet-to-be-named Lucca.

The slippery single-seater’s lightweight body was sanded down and coated with a clear lacquer, and the rear wheels were covered by teardrop-shaped spats.

The Auto Union Lucca recreation is powered by a supercharged, 6-litre, V16 engine

Auto Union’s 16-cylinder motor was bored out to 5 litres and installed amidships (the recently unveiled replica is powered by a later 6-litre unit, though).

Following tests on Berlin’s Avus circuit on 17 December 1934, the Auto Union team headed to Gyón, Hungary, in early 1935.

But poor weather conditions and a damaged tailpipe thwarted its first top-speed runs.

The rebuilt Auto Union Lucca was constructed by specialist Crosthwaite & Gardiner, in East Sussex, UK

With the car repaired, the Rennlimousine was brought to a long, straight road in Italy, near Lucca.

Here, on 15 February 1935 – and in front of thousands of spectators – Grand Prix driver Hans Stuck completed the flying mile at 320.267kph (199mph) and recorded a top speed of 326.975kph (203.17mph).

Around the same time, Auto Union constructed a second Rennlimousine to display at the Berlin motor show.

The Auto Union Lucca will tackle Goodwood’s famous hillclimb in July 2026

In May 1935, the pair of supercharged racers competed at the Avus circuit in the German capital, but both retired.

The record-breaking Auto Union Lucca and its sibling were lost during WW2.

Audi Tradition’s secret mission to revive the former has been under wraps since 2023.

The Lucca follows the Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’ – a 1930s Ferdinand Porsche design that was never built in period – that Audi Tradition unveiled at Goodwood in 2024.

The ‘new’ Auto Union Lucca will make its dynamic debut at the Festival of Speed from 9-12 July.

Images: Audi Tradition

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