Slideshow: How Audi's Rosemeyer Gave us the Veyron

Das Doppelgänger

All it takes is a glance and you’ll see the leaned out skeleton of what would become the Veyron. The general shape is industrial and purposeful, albeit slightly unrefined by comparison. Built to commemorate the Silver Arrows that were wielded in the hands of Bernd Rosemeyer the car shares more than just its good looks with its siblings. 

Family DNA

Underneath the sleek bodywork, you would be surprised (and then not surprised) to find designers envisioning this machine with a naturally aspirated W16 of the exact same displacement as the quad-turbo Veyron. This car was really a precursor in many ways to what would eventually become the fastest car of all time. It is also this engine that would launch the horsepower wars we currently find ourselves in! 

>>Join the conversation about the Rosemeyer concept right here in the AudiWorld Forum.

Growing Up

Production on Bugatti’s flagship hypercar didn’t start until 2005 which means this concept car predated it by 5 years. With a project as large as the Veyron it actually took several concept cars to realize the final product that would go on to become the car we have all grown to love. 

>>Join the conversation about the Rosemeyer concept right here in the AudiWorld Forum.

Production Numbers

Sadly this car didn’t get pushed through, but it makes perfect sense why. With a flagship on the horizon, it wouldn’t make any sense to release this car. Rather, it was done to influence the birth of another car and add a layer on top of what was already a truly stunning design. 

>>Join the conversation about the Rosemeyer concept right here in the AudiWorld Forum.

Silver Bullet

With 700bhp on tap and a top speed of well over 200mph this car is every bit as remarkable to look at as it was 18 years ago. Upon first glance, it appears to be just another “what if” that never happened, but when you look closer you see the Rosemeyer in the Veyron around every corner. Hope you enjoyed reading this one!

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