The Audi Type R was a large car produced by Audi between 1928 and 1932 as a successor to the Audi Type M.[1]
The Type R closely resembled the predecessor model, which had been perceived as too expensive. In reality the Type R was a little smaller than the Type M, its specification was less lavish and its price was lower. Nevertheless, it remained a large, expensive car produced during a period characterised by increasing austerity as the economy underwent the aftershocks from the stock market crashes and bank failures of 1929. Like its even more extravagant predecessor the Type R struggled to find customers.[2]
The car had an eight-cylinder in-line sidevalve engine with 4,872 cc of displacement. It developed a claimed maximum 100 PS of output at 3,300 rpm, which converted into a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph). Gone were the light-metal cylinder head and overhead valves that had excited commentators on the Type M. The three-speed manual transmission represented a step back from the four-speed transmission of the earlier car, and while the Type R retained four-wheel brakes, these were now mechanically rather than hydraulically controlled.[3]