Audi Gets Audacious

Rumours of a mysterious Audi concept car hidden within an exhibit hall at Volkswagen's Autostadt have been trickling out for several weeks now. Poor photos taken from inside the Audi Pavilion showed us a hint at a truly mysterious car that no one really knew what to make of.

Now officially released, this Project Rosemeyer, named after famed Auto Union Grand Prix driver Bernd Rosemeyer, bears a striking resemblance to its Auto Union motorsport forebears. This car, resembling most closely the Type C closed canopy cars of the late 1930's, is intended to hint at the future direction in Audi design under the careful eye of Director of Design, Peter Schreyer.

Much like the 1992 Avus concept car, this new sportscar is seemingly intended as a catalyst for Audi design and a brief glimpse of things to come. Unlike the Avus with its comparatively gentle lines, the new Concept Rosemeyer shows a harder edge industrial flavour that errs on the side of the radical in its use of elements found on the Auto Union race cars. Much of the current flavour seems TT-inspired, making use of current Audi design themes but at the same time amplifying them and elevating them to a whole new level.

The front grill of the car is perhaps one of its boldest features. Rumours persist amongst the automotive press that Schreyer has suggested its use on future Audi sedans. Such a design is tough to visualise, though movement toward it can be seen on today's A8 and A6 models.

The headlight design is rather novel and seemingly as of yet untried. Where most covered lights hurt aerodynamics, conventionally found in pop-up guise on many sports cars during the late 1980's, the concept's light covers slide aft the headlight assemblies. They appear to hug the skin of the front fenders seemingly invisible to aerodynamic drag.

While not as smooth and beautiful as the Avus concept, this new car does have some interesting qualities. From the front and the rear, the design is much more handsome. The profile, on the other hand, seems much more clumsy and somewhat tank-like with its strict interpretation of the silver arrow roofline. The designs are almost complimentary in some respects. Where the Avus seems too bland, this car is well detailed. Where the Rosemeyer is too chunky, the Avus is svelte and intoxicating. A mixture of both would be nearly perfect.

Regardless, the new Concept Rosemeyer will undoubtedly draw reviews much like the revolutionary TT concept did in those weeks following its introduction at the 1995 Frankfurt Autoshow. At the time, the design was polarising, with those who absolutely loved it and those who thoroughly hated it. By the time it reached production, the TT was almost totally applauded.

Certainly the Concept Rosemeyer will have a similar effect. Though with an education of how Audi has executed design in the past, it is not hard to be confident that this new design direction will be just as exciting.

VW Vortex

all Volkswagen Group communications and photos reproduced with permission of Volkswagen UK