Which Audi was Europe's first six-cylinder front-wheel-drive car?

The Audi Front was Europe’s first car to combine six-cylinder power with front-wheel drive.

Introduced in 1933 as the Audi Front UW 220, it emerged just after Audi became part of Auto Union alongside DKW, Horch and Wanderer. Its 1,950 cc overhead-valve straight-six came from Wanderer, while the front-drive layout reflected Audi’s growing interest in packaging the engine and transmission at the front of the car.

The model used a central box-section frame and independent suspension, both advanced features for a mid-size car of its period. The “UW” designation referred to “Umgekehrter Wanderer,” or “reversed Wanderer,” because the Wanderer-derived drivetrain was installed in an unusual orientation for front-wheel drive.

The larger-engined Audi Front UW 225 replaced the 220 in 1935 and continued until 1938. It is often confused with the later Audi 920, but the 920 abandoned front-wheel drive for a more conventional rear-drive layout.