Auto Union Type C8 Concept

The Auto Union Type C8 concept is a proposal for a Bugatti Veyron-rivaling supercar inspired by the potent Auto Union Type C race cars from the 1930s. It’s digital creator is one Maxime de Keiser, a Canadian designer, illustrator and architect.

Despite its name and supposed influence, the Type C8 concept has far more in common with Audi’s more recent supercars – like the R8 and Quattro  Spyder concept – than the cigar-shaped original Type C. That said, one thing the two cars do have in common is a massive engine. The 1936 Type C had a 16 cylinder engine, while the Type C8 concept has been envisaged with a W16 engine.

Of course it’s all just a bit of fun. The chances of the Type C8 concept being built are about the same as Jeremy Clarkson being elected as the next leader of Greenpeace. But never mind. Here’s what de Keiser has to say about his creation:

“The Type C8 concept is a road hypercar that would attempt to tribute to the great German sports car brand that was Auto Union before it became Audi. It’s meant to be an extreme sports car with radical features such as an enormous engine, a very low profile, and some rather small dimensions but unlike my previous concepts, I wanted to be close to an actual production car so I tried to work with realistic proportions for the measurements to be close enough to some of its potential concurrent like the Lamborghini Aventador and the Bugatti Veyron in order to be produced with little modifications. 

Its look is defined by the idea of ​​exhuming the sense of the irrational and the raw power which Auto Union was associated with in the late 30′s, with the technological refinement and the sense of sophistication that the brand that has become nowadays inspires. I have chosen the uncompromised “Type C” model from 1936 as first source of inspiration in order to highlight the inflammatory genetic of Audi. 

As the original Type C was equipped with a 16 cylinders, I thought the Type C8 could be mounted with the W16 from the Bugatti Veyron. And since Bugatti and Audi belong to the same group, the Type C8 could use the Veyron as base. I also wanted to stick to the contemporary visual identity of Audi so I took the standard bearer of Audi, the R8 as third reference. So the aesthetic of the Type C8 would be guided by the primitive ferociousness of the original Auto Union Type C, the contemporary technical features of the Bugatti Veyron and the elegant precision of the civilised Audi R8.”