Monday 1 June 2009

As I Have Said Before I Do Like, Cars, Bikes, Planes And Trains, Fast Ones!

well in it's time there was none faster than these, the Silver Arrows, the Auto Union D-type, it is one of only three D-types known to exist and is going under the hammer, this one is chassis number19, American car enthusiast Paul Karassik tracked it down, adding an original engine from a separate D-type carcass and handing it over to British Silver Arrow specialists Crosthwaite and Gardiner to restore to its original form, he found in fact 2 cars, the engine was from a 1938 model the body and what was left of the chassis from a 1939 model,
the only instruments in the cockpit are a huge rev counter and gauges for the temperature and pressure of the oil and water, when you sit in this type of car those is all the things you need to know!
the business! three-litre 485hp V12 with two valves per cylinder, yes you heard that right 485hp in 1939, the D types won several GP's being light years faster than any of their rivals, just out of interest AUDI have 4 rings in their name, this is to signify the amalgamation of 4 companies, Auto Union brought together four struggling car manufacturers during the Great Depression, the four rings of the badge representing Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer, it became ‘Audi NSU Auto Union’ in 1969 before reverting to simply Audi in 1985,
DKW also manufactured motorcycles I bought a 1957 DKW 194 c.c. two stroke in 1967, it was a RT175VS, and was surprisingly fast, but with the Earls forks cornering was an experience! but back to the car, guide price? a cool £5.5m is the guess by Bonhams, for more about the car and Bonhams visit here, do I want one? you bet!

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