Audi Type B

Open Touring Car 1910–1915 22–28 PS Petrol

The Audi Type B was the second model in August Horch's systematic Audi type-series — a longer-production touring car that refined and extended the formula established by the founding Type A, building the young brand's reputation across a five-year production run that spanned the beginning of the First World War.

Horsepower (peak, 28 PS)

~35s

0–100 km/h (est.)

~85km/h

Top Speed

1910

Year Introduced

Overview

The Audi Type B was introduced in 1910, running in parallel with and then succeeding the founding Type A as Audi's entry model. Where the Type A had proven that the new marque could build a quality touring car, the Type B refined and extended the formula — available in both the 10/22 PS (2.6-litre) specification shared with the Type A, and in a larger 12/28 PS (approximately 3.0–3.6-litre) higher-output version that gave buyers the option of more relaxed performance for longer-distance touring. The open Doppelphaeton body style, built by specialist coachbuilders to Audi's chassis specification, remained the standard configuration, offering seating for four to five occupants in the open-air touring style that was still dominant in German motoring before the First World War made enclosed saloon bodywork more practical and desirable.

The Type B's production span of 1910 to 1915 is notable for straddling the beginning of the First World War in August 1914 — a period that severely disrupted German manufacturing and redirected industrial capacity towards military production. Despite this disruption, the Type B represents one of Audi's longest-produced pre-war models and helped establish the Zwickau factory's reputation for consistent quality across a range of customers and conditions. The Type B competed in the same upper-middle-class touring car segment as its contemporary German rivals from Horch, Benz, and Wanderer, but Audi's particular combination of engineering quality, competitive pricing, and the sporting reputation earned by the Type C Alpensieger victories gave the brand an identity that extended beyond mere competence.

Like all pre-war Audi type-series cars, the Type B is today an object of the greatest historical rarity. Production numbers were small even by the standards of the era, and survival rates after more than a century — including two World Wars, the division of Germany, and the near-complete loss of pre-war automotive heritage from the Zwickau region — mean that any existing Type B is a museum-grade artefact of the first order. The Type B's significance lies not in its technical specifications, which were broadly similar to other quality German touring cars of 1910–1915, but in its role as one of the building blocks of a brand that would go on to define automotive excellence across the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.

Type B in Pictures

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

The four-ring Auto Union emblem — representing Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. The Audi Type B was one of the early models that established the Audi name in the pre-merger era, contributing to the brand heritage that culminated in the 1932 Auto Union formation.

August Horch — the engineering visionary who founded Audi after departing from Horch Motorwagenwerke. Under Horch's direction, the early Audi type series — A, B, C, and beyond — was developed as a systematic range of quality touring cars for the German middle and upper-middle class buyer.

The Audi factory in Zwickau, Saxony — where all early Audi type-series cars were built. The Zwickau plant was Audi's home from 1909 until the Auto Union era, and it was here that the Type B took shape alongside the Type A and the more powerful Type C Alpensieger.

An early Audi touring car from the type-series era — illustrating the open Doppelphaeton body style and chain or shaft-drive layout that characterised the Type A and Type B. The Type B's slightly larger engine and extended production run made it the more widely experienced of the first two Audi models.

Key Specifications

Body: Open Doppelphaeton touring car — 4–5 seats, coachbuilt bodywork on Audi ladder chassis
Engine: 2.6L (10/22 PS) or ~3.0–3.6L (12/28 PS) inline-4 — side-valve configuration, approximately 22–28 PS
Gearbox: 3-speed sliding-mesh manual — no synchromesh; double-declutching required for smooth gear changes
0–100 km/h: approx. 35 s (28 PS variant) | Top speed: approx. 80–85 km/h — competitive for 1910–1915 touring use
Suspension: Semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear — period standard construction on ladder chassis; no hydraulic damping on early production
Drive: Rear-wheel drive via chain drive (early) or shaft drive (later production) to live rear axle — conventional layout
Brakes: Rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes — front brakes added on later production; hand brake acts on transmission
Production: 1910–1915 | Manufacturer: Audi Automobilwerk GmbH, Zwickau | Significance: Second model in the Audi type-series; longest pre-war Audi production run

Variant Comparison

Variant	Engine	Power	Drive	Best For
Type B Standard (10/22 PS)	2.6L inline-4	22 PS	RWD	Standard touring specification — the 10/22 PS version with smaller engine represents the most authentic Type B configuration and is appropriate for buyers seeking the standard production specification rather than the higher-output variant
Type B Touring (12/28 PS)	3.6L inline-4	28 PS	RWD	Extended touring comfort — the 12/28 PS larger-engine specification provides more relaxed performance for longer-distance use, making it the more practical choice for any buyer intending to use the car at touring events
Type B Doppelphaeton	2.6–3.6L inline-4	22–28 PS	RWD	Open-air touring experience — the Doppelphaeton body is the definitive Type B configuration; any Type B in this style represents the most historically representative and visually authentic expression of the early Audi type-series

Competitor Snapshot

Model	Strength	Compromise
Horch 8/24 PS (1911)	The Horch 8/24 PS offered the prestige of the established Horch brand — the very marque August Horch had founded and been forced to leave — and benefited from Horch's longer manufacturing history and existing dealer network that the young Audi could not match	The Horch was more expensive than the equivalent Audi Type B, targeting a higher market segment; the Type B offered comparable quality and engineering standard at a more accessible price for the professional buyer who did not need the Horch badge
Benz 10/20 PS (1911)	The Benz 10/20 PS carried the engineering authority of one of Germany's oldest and most established automobile manufacturers, with a service and repair network that the young Audi brand simply could not replicate in 1910–1915	Benz's more conservative engineering approach produced a less technically focused car than August Horch's Audi — the Type B benefited from Horch's more progressive engineering philosophy that had also produced the Type C Alpensieger victories
Wanderer 5/12 PS (1912)	The Wanderer 5/12 PS offered more economical motoring at a lower price point, making it accessible to a broader range of buyers than the Type B's upper-middle-class target customer	The Wanderer was significantly smaller and less powerful than the Type B, occupying a lower market segment; the Type B's target buyer who wanted genuine touring capability and quality construction was not the same person considering the more modest Wanderer

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 Audi Type B is an extreme-rarity pre-war automobile; any surviving example is likely to be held in an institutional collection, and any private offering requires the most rigorous possible provenance verification including factory documentation and chassis number corroboration with Audi Museum records.
Mechanical parts for the Type B are not commercially available; every component must be fabricated from period technical drawings by specialist vintage engineering workshops, making any restoration an extremely expensive and time-consuming project requiring deep expertise in pre-war German automotive engineering.
Operating a Type B requires period-specification monograde mineral oil, ethanol-free petrol, and connection with the pre-war Audi specialist community; the Audi Tradition department in Ingolstadt holds the most authoritative technical knowledge for early type-series cars.

Maintenance & Service in Azerbaijan

Engine oil maintenance with period SAE 30 monograde mineral oil — the Type B's four-cylinder requires non-detergent mineral oil compatible with period bearing surfaces and gasket materials; change every 1,000 km or annually whichever comes first.
Valve timing and tappet clearance verification annually — the Type B's side-valve or overhead-valve configuration requires annual adjustment to maintain correct clearances; incorrect settings cause overheating, power loss, and accelerated wear in a car whose components are irreplaceable.
Cooling system maintenance with distilled water — the Type B's thermosiphon or early pump cooling system must be flushed annually to prevent scale accumulation in the cast-iron block passages; hard water causes blockages that lead to overheating and eventual engine damage.
Fuel system operation on ethanol-free petrol only — modern petrol blended with up to 10% ethanol (E10) degrades the period rubber fuel lines, dissolves carburettor components, and creates deposits incompatible with the Type B's carburation system; use only ethanol-free classic car or aviation fuel.
Chassis lubrication before every use — the Type B has multiple grease nipples and oil cups on steering joints, suspension pivots, and wheel bearings that require servicing before each operation; neglecting chassis lubrication causes rapid wear of irreplaceable components.

Used Type B Buying Checklist

Provenance and authentication — a genuine Audi Type B requires verifiable chassis documentation, engine number matching, and ideally factory records from the Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt; any Type B offered without comprehensive documentation should be treated with extreme scepticism.
Engine condition assessment by vintage specialist — the Type B's four-cylinder should be assessed for compression, oil pressure, and absence of internal wear indicators; a specialist pre-war German engine builder is required for any rebuild work.
Chassis integrity inspection — the ladder chassis of a car built between 1910 and 1915 may show fatigue cracks at stressed joints; dye penetrant or magnetic particle inspection by a specialist metalwork restorer is recommended before any purchase.
Coachbuilt body and framing condition — the Type B's body uses ash wood framing that is susceptible to rot and structural deterioration over more than a century; specialist coachwork assessment is required to determine the condition and cost of any restoration.
Completeness and originality — verify that all major components are correct-period items, since a pre-war car of this age may have accumulated non-original replacements; non-original parts reduce both historical authenticity and collector value.
Import and legal documentation for Azerbaijan — the Type B requires classification as a historic vehicle for customs purposes; operation on public roads requires appropriate historic vehicle registration and specialist insurance confirming coverage for a vehicle of this age and rarity.

Type B FAQ — Azerbaijan Buyers

Q: How does the Type B differ from the Type A?

The Audi Type B is closely related to the founding Type A but differs in several respects that reflect development over a five-year production run. The Type B was available in a higher-output 12/28 PS specification with a larger engine than the Type A's 10/22 PS unit, offering more relaxed performance for longer-distance touring. The Type B also benefited from production refinements introduced after the Type A established the basic formula — improved casting techniques, refined chassis details, and accumulated manufacturing experience that resulted in a more polished final product. The extended production run (1910–1915, compared to the Type A's 1910–1911) also means the Type B was produced in somewhat greater numbers, making surviving examples marginally less rare than the founding Type A — though both remain extremely scarce.

Q: Was the Type B affected by the First World War?

Yes — the Type B's production span of 1910 to 1915 means it straddled the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, which severely disrupted German automotive manufacturing. From 1914, German industry was progressively redirected towards military production, raw material supplies for civilian vehicles were curtailed, and the customer base of upper-middle-class professional buyers diminished as the war economy took hold. Audi, like other German manufacturers, continued limited civilian production where possible but focused increasing capacity on military contracts. The Type B's production in 1914 and 1915 was almost certainly at substantially reduced volumes compared to 1910–1913. The war's end in 1918 and the subsequent Weimar Republic economic instability created a very different market context for Audi's post-war model range starting with the Type K.

Q: Is the Type B related to any competition Audi model?

The Type B itself was not a competition car, but it existed alongside the far more celebrated Type C — the "Alpensieger" — which won the Austrian Alpine Trial three consecutive times from 1912 to 1914. The Type C used a substantially larger and more powerful engine than the Type B, specifically developed for the demands of competitive touring car events. The Type B's role was more complementary — as the accessible touring model that demonstrated Audi's quality to everyday buyers while the Type C built the brand's sporting reputation. In this sense, the Type B and Type C together represented Audi's two-pronged strategy of breadth (the Type B selling to a wider market) and performance (the Type C winning in competition).

Q: What happened to Audi after the Type B was discontinued?

After the Type B's production ended in 1915 and the First World War concluded in 1918, Audi faced the challenging economic environment of the early Weimar Republic. The company resumed production with the Type K in 1921 — a six-year gap caused by war disruption, post-war economic chaos, and the need to redesign the model range for the changed market. The 1920s brought a gradual recovery and the development of the Type M, Type R, and other later models that carried Audi through to the 1932 Auto Union merger. The consolidation into Auto Union ended the individual Audi brand identity for decades, until Audi re-emerged as an independent force under Volkswagen Group ownership and eventually became one of the world's premium automotive brands.

Q: Where can I see a Type B today?

The primary location to see surviving Audi pre-war heritage, including any Type B examples, is the Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt, Germany — the world's most comprehensive collection of Audi history from the founding models through to contemporary vehicles. The museum holds items from the type-series era and has access to the most complete archive of documentation about early Audi models. Other European automotive museums with strong German pre-war collections — including the Deutsches Museum in Munich and various private collections specialising in pre-war German cars — may occasionally display Type B or related type-series examples. In Azerbaijan, encountering a Type B outside of a travelling exhibition or major automotive event would be essentially impossible.

Should You Buy the Audi Type B?

The Audi Type B is a pre-war heritage artefact of extraordinary rarity — the second step in August Horch's systematic Audi range, and a bridge between the founding Type A and the more capable models that followed.

For Azerbaijani automotive enthusiasts, the Audi Type B represents the quiet, methodical second chapter of one of the world's great automotive stories. While the founding Type A carries the romantic charge of the naming moment, and the Type C carries the glory of competition victory, the Type B carries the less glamorous but equally essential story of how a brand builds its reputation through consistent quality over time. The appropriate way to engage with the Type B today is through the Audi Museum Mobile in Ingolstadt, where its context within the full Audi type-series can be properly appreciated. For buyers in Azerbaijan wanting to drive something with a genuine connection to this era of engineering ambition, the modern Audi A4 Avant carries forward precisely the same proposition — a quality German touring car designed for the thinking driver who wants substance over showmanship.