It's June 1, 2000, and Audi is enjoying plaudits from the automotive world for the chic (and now timeless) design of the first-generation Audi TT, which debuted nearly two years earlier. Those present at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Germany, are about to be shocked and amazed by something completely different in the form of the Rosemeyer concept. While its roundness shares some similarities with the TT, its massive engine and retro design elements set it apart from anything else Audi had done up until this point, or since. And while this is only a concept, it foreshadows something very real: the 2001 Bugatti Veyron concept, which would finally go into production in 2005.

Audi's Very Own W16-Powered Beast

In the middle of the concept lay an 8.0-liter W16, just like the Veyron. Both cars also distributed power to all four corners. Unlike the Bug, however, Audi's concept did without turbocharging, relying on "just" 700 naturally aspirated horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque. Remember, in 1999, the year before this was shown to the world, the most powerful production car on the planet was the 655-hp Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 7.3 SuperSport, and the second most powerful was the Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans V600 with, you guessed it, 600 ponies. The Audi's W16 engine was also found in the Bentley Hunaudières concept from the 1999 Geneva Auto Show, and here, the automaker said it was capable of spurring the Rosemeyer concept to 217 mph. Not bad, even in today's terms; the top speed of the R8, Audi's most recent supercar, was 205 mph in V10 Plus form.

The Rosemeyer concept was also competitive with modern supercars in that the wing mirrors were replaced by cameras, helping reduce aerodynamic drag. Adding slightly more sleekness to the look are retractable headlight covers. That immense speed and slipperiness helped justify the styling, which took much of its inspiration from the Auto Union "Silver Arrow" race cars of the 1930s, which leads us to the name.

Rosemeyer Concept Is Named After A Racing Icon

Just as the Veyron was named in honor of 1939 Le Mans winner Pierre Veyron, Audi's W16 supercar paid tribute to Bernd Rosemeyer, who piloted the aforementioned Silver Arrows race cars in their heyday. Sadly, he died aged just 28 in an Auto Union Streamliner on January 28, 1938, during a top speed record attempt. He was doing a scarcely believable 273 mph or so on the German autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. Like the car Rosemeyer was driving, the concept features a manual gearbox with six forward gears operated through an open gate. Another nod to that era of cars is the four-spoke steering wheel, while quilted leather and a small smattering of analog gauges in a metal dashboard add further retro flavor. Unfortunately, all this is irrelevant because the performance claims were all theoretical. Audi confirmed at the time of the concept's reveal that the car was non-functional: "Audi's design study at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg is not a prototype ready to be driven, nor has it been created in anticipation of a production vehicle." Oh, what might have been...

This story was originally published by Autoblog on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.