Across Europe with Audi Tradition

Audi Tradition is beginning the 2011 historic car season with a very full programme. The heritage department of AUDI AG will have its “Museum on Wheels” on display at more than 30 events. The “classic of classics”, Italy’s world-famous Mille Miglia, is on the programme again following a two-year break. In May, five historic DKW models from the 1950s will make the journey to northern Italy. Before this, Audi Tradition will make an appearance at the world’s largest historic car show, the Techno Classica in Essen.

From March 30 to April 3, more than 160,000 experts and old-car lovers are expected to visit Essen’s Gruga exhibition halls. Audi Tradition’s exhibits are examples from the history of NSU, DKW and of course Audi. While these exhibits are being admired at the Techno Classica, other vehicles from the collection are on the move elsewhere. After a two-year interval, Audi Tradition is once again taking part in the world’s most famous vintage car rally, Italy’s Mille Miglia. The Audi team, consisting of five DKW models from the 1950s, will be at the starting line in Brescia when a field of more than 375 historic cars sets off for Rome (May 12 to 14).

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Great Britain (July 1 to 3), Audi Tradition can once again be sure of appearing in front of a big audience. As in previous years, the 160,000 tickets for the world’s largest historic motor-sport event will have sold out in advance. Audi Tradition knows what spectators in the motherland of motor sport want to see: the Auto Union Type C and Type D “Silver Arrows” that won the first English Grand Prix races in Donington Park in 1937 and 1938. A pre-war DKW racing motorcycle and sidecar outfit will also be taking part.

On May 7 and 8, the German state of Baden-Württemberg is celebrating 125 years of the automobile with an event entitled “Automobile Summer 2011”. Audi Tradition will contribute some 40 vehicles to the cavalcade through the city of Stuttgart. Soon after this, from May 25 to 28, five Audi Tradition entries will tackle the Kitzbühel Alpine Rally on a route passing through the Austrian mountains. The German state of Hesse has not been neglected either: following 2010, when Audi Tradition took part with pre-war racing motorcycles from DKW, this year’s entries for the Schottenring Classic Grand Prix will be from the collection of post-war DKW racing bikes from the 1950s. Moving on, the highly popular “Creme 21” rally for modern classics sees the appearance of Audi Tradition entries again after a lengthy interval. The event will be held from September 21 to 25, and an NSU TT and an Audi 50 will be on the starting line.

There are of course many other well-established historic vehicle events at which Audi Tradition is a familiar participant, for example the Silvretta Classic (July 7 to 10), the Ennstal Classic (July 13 to 16), the Sachsen Classic (August 18 to 20), the Eifel Classic (September 29 to October 1) and the Gran Premio Nuvolari in Italy (September 15 to 18). But Audi Tradition naturally responds to the call when a historic car event is held in its own local region, and will therefore be present at the Donau Classic held around Ingolstadt (June 16 to 18) and the Heidelberg Historic (July 28 to 30), which will call at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm.