Pre-war ace, and Auto Union race driver, Hans Stuck died on this day in 1978. The AU and Mercedes-Benz grand prix cars of the 1930s were mechanical expressions of Germany's desire to re-establish itself as a world power. The leap in technology and speed they provided has never been equalled — nor has the spectacle. Paul Fearnley takes an Auto Union D-Type to the track in today's Great Read
Georg Meier, BMW's newly crowned European 500cc bike champion, got the call from Auto Union in early November: come to the Nürburgring and test for us. Tall and handsome, he was the hero of Germany's two-wheel brigade — but he had never sat in a high-powered sportscar, let alone a fully fledged 450bhp grand prix racer.
He watched intently as the well-practised team deftly brought the 3-litre V12 up to temperature. From a distance, and at low revs, it had sounded like an aeroplane. But closer to, and with its Roots blower chiming in, its shrill scream prickled down his neck, drilled along his jaw and thudded against his solar plexus...
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