Audi Type A

Open Touring Car 1910–1911 22 PS Petrol

The Audi Type A was the very first car to carry the Audi name — a 22 PS touring car built in 1910 that launched one of the world's great automotive brands and began the story that continues with every Audi produced today.

Horsepower (22 PS)

~40s

0–100 km/h (est.)

~75km/h

Top Speed

1910

Year Introduced

Overview

The Audi Type A was born from one of the most remarkable stories in automotive history. August Horch, the engineering genius who had already founded and built Horch Motorwagenwerke into a respected marque, fell out with his supervisory board in 1909 and was forced to leave his own company. Prohibited by contract from using his own name for his new venture, Horch translated "Horch" — a German word meaning "listen" or "hark" — into Latin: "Audi." With this linguistic stroke, the Audi brand was born, and the Type A became the first vehicle to carry its name. Produced at the newly established Audi Automobilwerk GmbH in Zwickau, Saxony, the Type A used a 2.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing approximately 22 PS — a modest output by modern standards but entirely competitive in the context of 1910 motoring. The car was offered as an open touring car in the Doppelphaeton body style, capable of carrying four or five occupants on Germany's improving but still challenging road network.

The Type A was marketed at Germany's upper-middle class — the business owners, doctors, and professionals who could afford a quality automobile but were not seeking the extraordinary expense of a Horch or Mercedes flagship. Audi positioned the Type A as a reliable, quality-built touring car rather than a luxury or sporting vehicle, though its construction quality matched the best German practice of the period. The 10/22 PS designation — standard German practice of the era — referred to the tax horsepower (Steuer-PS, or 10 PS for taxation purposes) and the actual developed horsepower (22 PS). A three-speed sliding-mesh gearbox and chain or shaft final drive transmitted power to the rear wheels, with a ladder chassis and semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension providing the foundation. The Type A's body was typically produced by specialist coachbuilders who supplied Audi with completed bodywork to mount on the chassis.

Production of the Type A was brief — only 1910 and 1911 — as Audi rapidly developed successor models (Type B, Type C, and beyond) that offered larger engines and improved performance. The Type A's historical significance far exceeds its production numbers, however: it established the Audi brand as a manufacturer of quality automobiles, gave August Horch a second chapter in his automotive career, and began the engineering lineage that — through the Auto Union era, the quattro revolution, and into the modern luxury automobile market — culminates in today's Audi AG. Any surviving Type A example represents one of the oldest automobiles in the entire Audi heritage collection, and its rarity means that encountering one outside a museum is essentially impossible.

Type A in Pictures

Visual references for exterior styling, cabin design, and key details. Images fall back gracefully on load error.

The 1910 Audi Type A — the very first automobile to carry the Audi name, designed by August Horch at his new company after departing from Horch Motorwagenwerke. The Type A established the Audi brand as a builder of quality touring cars for the emerging German middle class.

August Horch — founder of Audi and the engineering genius behind the Type A. Having previously founded and built Horch into a respected brand, Horch formed the Audi Automobilwerke GmbH in 1909, choosing the Latin translation of his name for the new marque.

The Audi factory in Zwickau, Saxony — where the Type A was conceived and built. The Zwickau plant became the birthplace of the Audi brand and continued as Audi's primary manufacturing location through the interwar period.

The four-ring Auto Union emblem — representing Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer, the four companies that merged in 1932. The Type A launched just 22 years before this merger; the rings that represent the merger are today universally recognised as the Audi brand symbol.

Key Specifications

Body: Open Doppelphaeton touring car — 4–5 seats, open to the elements with folding hood, coachbuilt bodywork
Engine: 2,613 cc inline-4, side-valve, approximately 22 PS at modest rpm — 10/22 PS German tax designation
Gearbox: 3-speed sliding-mesh manual — no synchromesh; double-declutching required for smooth changes
0–100 km/h: approx. 40 s | Top speed: approx. 75 km/h — adequate for 1910 road conditions
Suspension: Semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear on ladder chassis — no shock absorbers on early production
Drive: Rear-wheel drive via chain drive (early) or shaft drive (later production) to live rear axle
Brakes: Rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes only — no front brakes on earliest production; hand brake acts on transmission
Production: 1910–1911 | Manufacturer: Audi Automobilwerk GmbH, Zwickau | Status: museum-grade extreme rarity

Variant Comparison

Variant	Engine	Power	Drive	Best For
Type A Sport (10/22 PS)	2.6L inline-4	22 PS	RWD	Historical authenticity — the open Doppelphaeton body in standard specification represents the most common and authentic Type A configuration; choose this if documentation identifies it as the original factory body style
Type A Touring	2.6L inline-4	22 PS	RWD	Touring use — the open touring body with additional weather protection equipment (hood, side screens) represents the most practical Type A configuration for occasional driving events at pre-war vehicle rallies
Type A Doppelphaeton	2.6L inline-4	22 PS	RWD	Maximum collector appeal — any Type A with documented factory connection, original engine numbers, and verifiable chassis history represents the highest-value configuration regardless of body style

Competitor Snapshot

Model	Strength	Compromise
Horch 8/24 PS (1910)	The Horch 8/24 PS (1910) offered the prestige of Horch's established brand name — the very marque August Horch had been forced to leave — and a slightly larger engine with comparable performance; Horch's reputation was marginally better established in 1910 than Audi's brand-new identity	The Horch was more expensive than the equivalent Audi Type A, positioning it above Audi in the market hierarchy; the Type A offered comparable quality at a lower price point, representing better value for the professional-class buyer who did not require the Horch badge's prestige premium
Benz 10/20 PS (1910)	The Benz 10/20 PS offered the engineering credibility of one of Germany's most established automobile manufacturers — Benz had been making cars since 1886 — and had extensive dealer and service network support that Audi's brand-new company could not match	The Benz's more conservative engineering and established-manufacturer caution made it less technically interesting than the Audi; Horch's engineering philosophy at Audi produced cars with a more focused design intent than the broader Benz range
Wanderer 5/12 PS (1911)	The Wanderer 5/12 PS (later the W model) was a smaller, more economical vehicle offering affordable motoring to the middle class — providing broader market accessibility at a lower price than the Type A's upper-middle positioning	The Wanderer was significantly smaller and less powerful than the Type A, occupying a lower market segment; buyers who could afford the Type A were not the same buyers considering a Wanderer, making direct comparison somewhat artificial despite both being German touring cars

Cost-of-Ownership Estimator (Azerbaijan)

Annual distance (km)Fuel consumption (L/100km)Fuel price ($/L)Annual service budget ($)Annual insurance ($)Annual tires ($)

Annual fuel use: 32 litres
Annual fuel cost: $21
Total yearly estimate: $17521
Monthly average: $1460

The Type A is a museum-grade automobile of the highest historical importance — virtually all surviving examples are held in institutional collections including the Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt and major European automotive museums; a Type A offered for private sale requires the most rigorous provenance verification.
Mechanical components for the Type A have essentially no modern supply chain — every mechanical part must be fabricated from scratch by a specialist vintage engineering workshop or sourced from a donor car of the period; even the Audi Museum's restoration team works from factory drawings rather than parts catalogues.
Operating a Type A on public roads requires period-vehicle registration in most European countries, specialist historic vehicle insurance, and connection with the pre-war Audi specialist community — the Audi Tradition department in Ingolstadt is the most knowledgeable resource for Type A technical matters.

Maintenance & Service in Azerbaijan

Engine oil using pre-war monograde specification — modern multigrade detergent oils are incompatible with the Type A's non-hardened bearing surfaces and period gasket materials; use SAE 30 or SAE 40 monograde mineral oil only, and change every 1,000 km or annually.
Valve timing verification and tappet adjustment annually — the Type A's side-valve engine requires regular valve clearance adjustment using feeler gauges; incorrect valve timing causes overheating and power loss that is misdiagnosed as other problems without specialist vintage engine knowledge.
Cooling system cleaning with distilled water — the Type A's simple thermosiphon cooling system (no water pump on early versions) requires annual flushing to remove scale deposits that accumulate in the cast-iron block passages; hard water causes serious blockages within a few seasons.
Fuel system maintenance with ethanol-free petrol — modern petrol blended with up to 10% ethanol degrades the period rubber fuel lines and dissolves the copper and brass carburettor components in a Type A; use only ethanol-free aviation or classic car fuel.
Chassis lubrication of all greasing points before any operation — the Type A has numerous grease nipples on steering joints, suspension pivots, and wheel bearings that require hand-greasing before each use; failure to lubricate leads to rapid wear of components that are irreplaceable.

Used Type A Buying Checklist

Provenance and authentication verification — a genuine Audi Type A requires factory documentation, chassis plate matching, and ideally records in the Audi Museum archives; any Type A offered without compelling documentation should be treated with extreme scepticism.
Engine condition assessment by vintage engine specialist — the Type A's four-cylinder requires assessment of compression, oil pressure, and valve condition; low compression or excessive oil burning indicates significant internal wear requiring specialist vintage engine rebuilding.
Chassis integrity check — the ladder chassis of a 115-year-old vehicle may show cracks at stressed joints and cross-members; specialist metalwork inspection with dye penetrant testing is recommended before any purchase or significant driving.
Body and coachwork condition — the Type A's wooden body framing is subject to rot, insect damage, and structural collapse over a century; a specialist pre-war body restorer is required to assess the true condition and cost of restoration.
Completeness assessment — verify that all major components present are correct-period items, since a pre-war car of this rarity may have accumulated non-original parts during a century of ownership; non-original parts reduce both historical value and restoration authenticity.
Import and legal status in Azerbaijan — a Type A imported to Azerbaijan requires classification as a historic vehicle for customs purposes; legal operation on public roads requires historic vehicle registration and specialist insurance that must be confirmed before any purchase commitment.

Type A FAQ — Azerbaijan Buyers

Q: Why is the car called "Audi" and what is the Type A?

The Audi name comes directly from founder August Horch's surname translated into Latin. "Horch" is a German imperative meaning "listen" or "hark", and "Audi" is the Latin equivalent of the same command. After Horch was forced to leave his previous company (Horch Motorwagenwerke) due to boardroom disputes, he was contractually prohibited from using his own name for his new enterprise — so he translated it instead. The Type A designation refers to Audi's first production model in the sequential type designation system Audi used for its pre-war vehicles (Type A, B, C, D, E, K, M, P, R, SS, T). The "A" in Type A is simply the first in this alphabetical sequence, not an abbreviation of anything specific.

Q: How many Audi Type A cars were built?

Production records for the Audi Type A are incomplete — precise figures have been lost over more than a century — but historical research suggests that total production was extremely limited, likely in the range of a few dozen to perhaps 100–150 examples across the 1910–1911 production period. Audi was a very small manufacturer in these early years, building cars essentially to order in a craft production process rather than mass manufacture. The number of surviving examples is almost certainly in single figures globally — most, if any, would be held in European automotive museums or by specialist pre-war Audi collectors. The Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt is the primary repository of surviving early Audi heritage material.

Q: Is the Audi Type A related to any modern Audi model?

The Audi Type A shares no mechanical relationship with any modern Audi vehicle — it is separated by over a century of engineering development and represents an era before electricity, electronics, or any of the technologies that define modern automobiles. The connection is one of lineage, legacy, and brand identity rather than mechanical inheritance. The Type A established the Audi name, August Horch's engineering standards, and Audi's identity as a quality-focused German manufacturer — values that were carried through the Auto Union era, the post-war rebirth as an Ingolstadt manufacturer, and into the modern Audi AG. The four-ring logo that adorns every Audi today represents the Auto Union merger of 1932 (of which Audi was one of four brands), and traces its corporate ancestry directly to the company that built the Type A.

Q: What happened to August Horch after he founded Audi?

August Horch continued to lead Audi and oversee its growing success through the 1910s and early 1920s, but he departed from the company in 1920 after further boardroom disagreements — remarkably, for the second time in his career he was forced out of a company bearing his name or its translation. After leaving Audi, Horch worked in other industrial and automotive roles but never again founded his own car company. He lived to see the formation of Auto Union in 1932, which combined his two major automotive achievements (Horch and Audi) with DKW and Wanderer under a single corporate structure. Horch died in 1951, by which time both Horch (the brand) and Audi had been through the Second World War, division, and corporate upheaval — but the Audi name he created by translating his surname survived to become one of the world's leading automotive brands.

Q: Can an Audi Type A be driven in Azerbaijan?

Theoretically, an Audi Type A could be operated in Azerbaijan as a historic vehicle, but practically this would be an extraordinary and highly specialised undertaking. The car requires ethanol-free petrol (not readily available at Azerbaijani fuel stations), has brakes only on the rear wheels (making stopping distances far longer than any modern driver is accustomed to), has no heating, windscreen wipers, or weather protection, and cannot be serviced by any conventional mechanic in Azerbaijan. The total global population of surviving Type A examples is almost certainly in single figures, making the probability of one being available for operation in Azerbaijan essentially zero. The appropriate way to experience the Type A is at the Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt, where examples of early Audi heritage can be seen in a museum context.

Should You Buy the Audi Type A?

The Audi Type A is a piece of automotive history that belongs in a museum — the founding car of one of the world's great automotive brands, too rare and historically important for conventional ownership.

For Azerbaijani automotive enthusiasts, the Audi Type A represents the ultimate origin story — the car that started everything. The appropriate way to engage with it is through the outstanding Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt, which holds the most comprehensive collection of early Audi heritage in the world. If you want to drive an Audi with a direct connection to this founding heritage, the quattro of the 1980s carries forward August Horch's engineering ambition in a car you can actually use. If you want to understand what makes the Audi brand different — why it has always taken engineering seriously and committed to innovation — reading about the Type A, the Type C Alpensieger, and the quattro as a continuous thread of technical ambition is more rewarding than any brochure the modern marketing department could produce.