The Auto Union Type-D Concept by Czech designer Lukas Vanek reinterprets the concept of the legendary Auto Unions of the 1930s with a modern and sleek look.

The body is made of an outer metal skin mounted on a carbon fiber composite structure which provides rigidity and support to the vehicle.

The mid-mounted engine is a 6.5 liter 12 cylinder unit which delivers 650 hp and allows for a top speed of 300 km/h.

Among the design elements is the single rear LED vertical taillight, the rear bottom spoiler and the exposed carbon fiber structure, which is visible through the longitudinal top and side lines.

Bernd Rosemeyer won the 1937 Grand Prix at Donington Park,
Great Britain in an Auto Union 16-cylinder Type C

The large-diameter tires have a custom thread that completes the modern look.

About the Auto Unions racing cars

The Auto Union race cars were designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

They had a mid-mounted engine, with the driver sitting in front of the engine and the fuel tank located in the center of the car.

Because of this layout, cars were said to be hard to master, which was in part due to the swing axle rear suspension design initially adopted by Porsche.

The powertrains featured V16 and V12 supercharged engines that produced up to 550 hp.

For more information visit the Auto Union page on Wikipedia.

About the designer

Lukas Vanek has a Master in Industrial Design from the TBU university in Zlin and graduated from Turin-based Europeo di Design (IED) with a three-years Car Design Course.

His final project was the BMW ZX-6, created with Jai Ho Yoo for the 2015 BMW Concept thesis.

(Source: Diseno-Art via Virtual Car)