Audi Tradition is taking receipt of a fully restored Audi 18/70 hp Type M, dating from 1925, from the vehicle restoration specialists at Fahrzeugrestaurierung Rosenow, based in Glienick near Berlin - in the form of a cutaway model.
The conscious decision was taken to commission the preparation of a cutaway model from a very valuable and rare original vehicle. Audi Tradition is consequently allowing itself a rare luxury, because it is rare for cutaway models of such remarkable cars to be commissioned today.
The Audi 18/70 hp Type M from 1925 is one of four surviving specimens worldwide. In April, the company Fahrzeugrestaurierung Rosenow was awarded the contract to create a cutaway model from what was the first six-cylinder car in Audi’s history. The planning aspect, for instance, was much more elaborate than for a conventional restoration project.
Spillner and his team devoted around 4,500 hours’ work spread over three and a half years, to this rare car. Although the original chassis was well preserved, it needed full optical reconditioning. The vehicle floor is made from acrylic glass, to provide a good view of all the car’s chassis components. The smooth, elegantly styled engine block of the 70 hp car can still be admired intact.
The body, which was originally built by the Zittau-based company Gustav Winter, had survived but was in poor condition. Parts of the wooden frame and metal body panels, together with fragments of the doors and the sill plates, formed the basis of the entirely rebuilt body.
The composite wood and steel structure can be clearly seen on the cutaway model: the metal body panels are bolted to the beech frame acting as the body’s supporting structure, then filled and painted. The cushions are cut away to reveal the sheer artistry that has gone into the leatherwork.
The six-cylinder Audi Type M was an innovative car, but little regard was given to cost in its design and production. As a result, the Audi Type M was technically a very interesting vehicle but it did not help to strengthen the company’s economic position.
Restored Audi Type M from 1925 handed over to Audi Picture Gallery
[Source: Audi]
