Audi Brings Six Classics to Mille Miglia

Audi classics, Wanderer W 25 and 1956 DKW Monza

Audi is main sponsor of event

By Frank de Leeuw van Weenen
April 30, 2008 1:35 PM
Filed Under: Audi, European

Audi will be a main sponsor of one of the world's most famous classic races, the Mille Miglia in brescia, Italy. Being a main sponsor of such a prestigious event calls for some seriously special cars and Audi does not disappoint.

Audi will bring three Wanderer W 25 cars from 1936, 1937 and 1938 along with the DKW 3=6 special class F91 and two DKW Monza's. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, will drive one of the Wanderers along the 1,000 mile long track. The other two Wanderer W 25's will be driven by Stephan Grühsem, Head of Communications at Volkswagen, and Toni Melfi, Head of Communications at Audi.

The four rings in Audi's logo represent four brands, Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, who were combined under the Auto Union umbrella. Auto Union merged with NSU in 1969, in 1985 Audi AG was formed from Audi NSU Auto Union AG in 1985.

Source: Audi

Press Release (Click to expand)

Audi Tradition with six cars at the Mille Miglia

AUDI AG sponsors the world’s most famous vintage car rally for the first time

AUDI AG will be one of the main sponsors at the Mille Miglia for the first time. From 15 to 17 May 2008, Audi Tradition will take six historic automobiles to Brescia, where the 1,000-mile race across half of Italy starts and finishes. Taking part for the first time this year will be Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. He will be piloting a Wanderer W 25.

The three Wanderer W 25 cars from the years 1936, 1937 and 1938 are a quite magnificent sight. The 55 hp vehicles have already taken part in the world’s most famous vintage car rally in recent years, following in the footsteps of other iconic vehicles from the brand’s post-war history: the DKW 3=6 special class F91, for example, which won the touring car category up to 1,300 ccm at the Mille Miglia in 1954. This three-cylinder car achieved a more than respectable average speed of 104.95 km/h from just 34 hp and 900 ccm. The 1956 DKW Monza will be at the historic Mille Miglia for the third time. This year, Audi Tradition will be starting with two DKW Monzas.

The cockpits of the historic vehicles from Audi’s past have a top-class crew. First and foremost Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who will pilot one of the Wanderers. The other two Wanderer W 25 cars will be driven by Stephan Grühsem, Head of Communications at Volkswagen AG, and Toni Melfi, Head of Communications at AUDI AG. Stephan Grühsem’s team will be rounded off by the famous German actor Thomas Heinze. In one of the two DKW Monzas, Christian Geistdörfer, double Rally-World Champion, will be co-pilot of Audi Head of Design, Wolfgang Egger.

The four rings of the Audi badge symbolise the brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, which were later combined under the umbrella of Auto Union. Auto Union and NSU, which merged in 1969, made many significant contributions towards the development of the car. AUDI AG was formed from Audi NSU Auto Union AG in 1985. Together with the two traditional companies Auto Union GmbH and NSU GmbH, Audi Tradition nurtures and presents the deep and diverse history of Audi. The Audi museum mobile at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt is open daily from Monday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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