Ferdinand Porsche's mid-engined Silver Arrow — 520 bhp from a supercharged V16 in a 1936 Grand Prix car.
The Auto Union Type C was the 1936–1937 evolution of Ferdinand Porsche's revolutionary mid-engined Grand Prix design. Powered by a 6,005cc supercharged V16 producing approximately 520 bhp, it won the 1936 European Championship in the hands of Bernd Rosemeyer. The mid-engined layout was unique in Grand Prix racing at the time and was not widely adopted until the 1950s. Most Type Cs were destroyed in WWII or absorbed into the Soviet Union after the war; only a tiny number of authentic chassis or factory parts have survived.
Engineering far ahead of its time; recognisably the foundation of modern racing-car architecture.
| Variant | Years | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type C | 1936–1937 | Not separately recorded | 6.0L supercharged V16; 1936 European Champion. |
| Type C/D Hillclimb | 1937–1939 | Not separately recorded | Twin-rear-wheel variant; legendary photographs. |
For pre-war and vintage cars such as the Auto Union Type C, provenance is paramount. Chassis and engine number matching, period coachbuilder records, factory build sheets where available, continuous ownership documentation, original handbooks and any competition or concours history are the foundation of value. Verified pre-war Auto Union identity; almost all market activity is reconstruction-grade.
The supercharged V16 is operated only by Audi Tradition; private operation of an original car is unprecedented in modern times. Any assessment of a Type C — original or reconstruction — is a specialist archive and engineering exercise rather than a conventional pre-purchase inspection: full rebuild documentation, component provenance for every major assembly, and Audi Tradition's own records are the reference. The engine is a single-purpose racing unit; its condition is established from the rebuild file, not from a road test.
Type C bodywork is hand-formed aluminium panelling over a tubular chassis — there is no coachbuilt timber framing on this car. The central questions are which period components, if any, survive in the specific car; how the chassis and body panels were sourced or fabricated during any reconstruction; and how completely that work is documented. Establish the provenance of every major structural element against Audi Tradition's archive and the car's own build file, and treat undocumented panelwork or chassis repair as a question of identity, not merely condition.
Verified original survivors are in museum collections (Audi Tradition, Russian museums and a handful of private collectors). Reconstructed cars exist and are clearly identified as such. Public appearances are demonstration runs at major historic events under expert stewardship rather than competitive entries; a Type C's standing rests on the documented provenance of its components and its recognition by Audi Tradition, not on race-eligibility paperwork.
No verified public auction results are currently available for this model. We publish sale figures only from examples we have confirmed against auction house records, and will update this guide as results appear.
The most revolutionary pre-war Grand Prix car. Original survivors are essentially national-heritage objects.
Our view, not advice. This section is Car Collector International's editorial judgement on where this model sits in the collector market, based on the production, specification and market data set out in this guide. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell and it is not investment advice. Values can fall as well as rise.
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The valuation figures in this guide are for research purposes only and do not constitute financial or investment advice. See our full disclaimer.
