Its front-wheel drive cars of the mid/late 1930s are regarded by Audi as landmark models in its history, being the first to feature this technology. Although the Citroën 'Traction Avant' is widely regarded as being the first to demonstrate that front-wheel drive was a viable proposition for a mainstream production car, the Audi beat its French rival into production by a year. Together with Horch, Wanderer and DKW, Audi formed part of the 'Auto Union', symbolised by the marque's emblem of four linked rings. The impetus behind the front-drive experiment was DKW founder, Danish engineer Jorgen Rasmussen, whose company pursued various such projects from 1930 onwards, culminating in the introduction of the DKW FA (later F-1) light car in 1931. Introduced in 1933, the Audi Type UW 220 was the world's first front-drive car with a six-cylinder engine, in this case a 2.0-litre overhead-valve unit of Porsche/Wanderer design, which it shared with conventional Wanderer W22. Designated 'UW' ('Umgekehrter Wanderer', meaning that the Wanderer engine had been turned around) the pushrod six sat behind the four-speed gearbox, while the ZF cam-and-peg steering was power assisted by an American system manufactured under license. A top speed of 100km/h was claimed for the W220, which was improved upon slightly by the larger engined (2,257cc) UW 225 of 1935. Approximately 4,500 of these front-drive Audi models were produced at the Horch plant in Zwickau between 1933 and 1938, of which some 1,800 were Type UW 220.
Bodied by Gläser of Dresden, this partially restored milestone of German automotive engineering has resided in an important private collection in Italy. The car comes with German registration documents and is described as in generally good condition.

En 1933, l'Audi Type UW 220 fut la première six-cylindres du monde à traction avant avec un moteur Wanderer/Porsche retourné (Umgekehrter Wanderer) précédé d'une boîte à quatre rapports et une direction assistée. La production s'éleva à quelque 1800 Type UW 220 seulement. Ce rare cabriolet à carrosserie Gläser partiellement restauré vient d'une importante collection privée italienne. Il possède ses papiers d'immatriculation allemands.