| Audi Type SS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Audi |
| Also called | Audi Zwickau Audi 20 / 100 |
| Production | 1929–1932 |
| Assembly | Zwickau, Germany |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Obere Mittelklasse |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5130 cc 8-cylinder (design Rickenbacker) |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,500 mm (140 in) |
| Length | 4,965 mm (195.5 in) |
| Width | 1,780 mm (70 in) |
| Height | 1,870 mm (74 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Audi Type M |
| Successor | Audi Type R |
The Audi Type SS was a large, eight-cylinder-powered sedan/saloon car introduced by Audi in 1929 in succession to the Type R "Imperator".
Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, the Danish-born entrepreneurial industrialist who had purchased Audi-Werke in 1928, had previously, in 1927, purchased the manufacturing plant of the bankrupt Detroit-based Rickenbacker business and shipped it home to Germany. He installed it in a factory he owned just outside Zschopau, near to Audi's own Zwickau plant. The plan was to build large, relatively inexpensive US-style "Rasmussen engines" for sales to other German auto-makers. The plan failed in that Rasmussen failed to secure any orders for the engines, so he instead produced a couple of models of his own which used them. The Audi Type SS (Zwickau) was one of these.[1]
The 5,130 cc straight 8 engine developed a maximum output 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) at 3,000 rpm, which was relayed using a four-speed transmission through to the rear wheels and converted into a claimed top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph).[2]
The car had two leaf-sprung solid axles and hydraulically controlled brakes which operated on all four wheels.[2] The usual body configurations were available, including a four-door cabriolet and, with a manufacturer's recommended price of 12,950 Marks, a "Pullman-Limousine".[3]
Approximately 400 Audi Zwickaus were produced between 1929 and 1932, which for this size of car was a reasonable tally.[4]