The history of Audi - picture special

The Audi museum is based in Ingolstadt, Germany

Wanderer, which launched this 'safety bicycle' in 1888, was one of the building blocks of Audi as we know it today

The company launched its first motorcycle in 1902; this is a 1914 example. Wanderer also produced small cars

Audi's 3.7-litre four-cylinder engine, launched in 1911, produced 40bhp and made its way into 1116 cars and 326 trucks

The four-cylinder engine was produced from 1911 to 1925

This is one of Audi's luxury saloons, a 'Typ M' 1925 18/70 PS

The 18/70 was powered by a six-cylinder 4.7-litre engine producing 69bhp

The car, which is a cutaway model for display purposes, would have originally been capable of 75mph

The 1927 Horch 8, on the right, was an eight-cylinder touring model capable of 62mph

Horch produced 1471 examples of its eight-cylinder convertible

The Horch 8 bore the distinction of being one of Germany's first eight-cylinder models

The 1928 DKW ZSW 500 featured a new water-cooled two-stroke engine that was also used in the 1928 DKW P 15 small car

The DKW F1 was an important model for the brand. Launched in 1931, it featured a two-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive

The F1 was reputedly the first volume-produced car with front-wheel drive. Its 494cc engine put out 15bhp

This 8/40 was one of Wanderer's cars. It was launched in 1925 and was packed with advanced features, including four-wheel brakes

DKW's 1934 'Schwebeklasse' had a two-stroke, four-cylinder engine that drove the rear wheels

The Wander W 40 of 1936 featured a six-cylinder engine developed by Ferdinand Porsche in the early 1930s

The engine was one of the valuable assets that Wanderer contributed to the new Auto Union

This particular example, from 1936, has not been restored

The 1933 Audi 'Front' saloon adopted front-wheel-drive technology from DKW and the six-cylinder engine from Wanderer

The luxury Horch 853 was powered by a 4.9-litre straight-eight producing 99bhp; the car was a resounding success in its class

Horch's 855 roadster was one of the most exclusive cars in the company's history. Only seven were made

The Horsch's straight-eight 4.9-litre engine produced 118bhp, allowing the 855 roadster to hit 87mph

Horch built 58 '670 Sport Cabriolets' between 1931 and 1934; it packed a 118bhp 6.0-litre V12 and could hit 87mph

The Horch's V12 featured a seven-bearing crank, a hydraulic valve clearance adjuster system and a vibration damper

The Wanderer W 25 K roadster took styling cues from American designs and made use of a supercharged six-cylinder engine

The Audi four-ring emblem symbolises the 1932 merger of Horch, Audi, Wanderer and DKW

The Audi 920, built from 1938 to 1940, adopted the chassis from the Wanderer W 23 and a Horch-derived straight-eight engine

This 1939 Auto Union 'Typ C/D' race car is claimed capable of 155mph

Power for the Type C/D came from a supercharged 6.0-litre V16, producing 513bhp

Only one Type C/D was ever made

The car, as the name suggests, was a combination of the old Type C's engine and the chassis from a Type D

The 1939 Auto Union Type D Grand Prix racer was capable of over 205mph. It was powered by a 478bhp supercharged 3.0-litre V12

This 'Silver Arrow' survived World War II and was restored in England between 1992 and 1994

The Type D shared much with its predecessor, including its use of supercharging, torsion bar suspension and mid-engined layout

This is the last remaining example of the three DKW US 250s built in 1939

Many of the brands produced military vehicles and equipment; much of the companys' infrastructure was destroyed during WWII

This 1953 Horch 830 BL was parked in the Texan desert for 40 years; it is the only example of its kind

During the 1950s DKW launched a passenger car programme that offered several different body styles

The DKW 3=6 'Sonderklasse' was offered as a two-door variant, with a three-cylinder two-stroke engine

It was also offered in two-seat convertible form with the same three-cylinder engine

The engine was said to have the power and refinement of a six-cylinder four-stroke engine, hence the 3=6 moniker

The DKW 3=6, seen here in estate form, was a popular car and even won the European Rally Championship in 1954

The DKW F 89 L 'rapid delivery van' was the first Auto Union model produced after the war

Its 20bhp two-cylinder two-stroke engine drove the front wheels; 28,263 were made

A new factory was built in Ingolstadt to produce the 1959 DKW Junior, laying the foundations for today's Audi plant

The Auto Union 1000 Sp Roadster went on sale in 1961. It was styled on Ford's Thunderbird but only made in small numbers

The car's bodyshell was made by Baur in Stuttgart; final assembly took place in Ingolstadt

Power came from a 980cc three-cylinder two-stroke engine

Auto Union claimed a top speed of 87mph

The DKW F 102 was the last Auto Union model produced prior to the Volkswagen takeover

The Audi 72, launched in 1965, was the successor to the DKW F 102 and marked the start of a new era for Auto Union

The NSU Autonova GT, launched in 1965, was designed to offer younger buyers a more sporting, fun car than the DKW alternatives

The NSU RO80 was a rotary-engined saloon introduced in 1967; NSU was acquired by VW and merged with Auto Union in 1969

The Audi 100 helped secure the future of the brand in the late 1960s. It was developed in secret and went on sale in 1969

The Audi 100's design focused on lightweight construction, allowing for decent performance with a comparitively small engine

The Audi 50 LS went on sale in 1974. VW launched the nigh-on indentical Polo in 1975

This 1979 Audi 80 was sectioned for display at the Frankfurt motor show

The Audi quattro was the first passenger car with standard four-wheel drive; it went on sale in 1980 and was produced until 1991

The indomitable 302bhp Sport Quattro was Germany's most powerful series production car at its launch in 1983

Audi has recently been celebrating 30 years of the Audi Sport Quattro

Only 214 Sport Quattros were built, compared to some 11,452 Quattros

The 80 GTE was the first official Audi entry into circuit motorsport since Auto Union's racing department was closed in 1964

The Audi Quattro stormed onto the rallying scene in 1981

Audi's rally driver, Michèle Mouton, became the first ever female to win a World Rally Championship race

The brutal-looking Audi 90 Quattro ISMA-GTO debuted in 1989 and proved immensely successful

The Audi was powered by a 2.2-litre five-cylinder engine that produced a staggering 711bhp

Distinctive cooling fins helped control brake temperatures. Audi built six race cars, including four 'emergency' vehicles

The Audi V8 Quattro DTM defeated competitors from both Mercedes and BMW in its first season in 1990

Some of Audi's Le Mans entries are also on display at the museum

A paternoster presents a continually moving display of exhibits to visitors

The Audi 200 Quattro Transam was a 1000kg, 493bhp race car that debuted in 1986

Audi's competition heritage spans many decades and classes

In the back, on its way up the paternoster, is the Audi Quattro Group S prototype

This is a DKW F 11/64 touring car. Its 896cc engine makes 77bhp, allowing the 705kg car to almost hit 103mph

The museum's paternoster can be viewed from several floors; digital display boards allow for quick model identification

The Audi 100 had a low drag coefficient of 0.30, setting a new record for production saloon cars

The lower level of the museum, pictured here during a previous exhibition, is used to host special displays

The Audi museum is home to a display of some 50 cars and 30 other exhibits, including bicycles and motorcycles