AutoCult Awtowelo Typ 650 Sokol (1952) (Russia)

About the Original:

Stalin‘s big Ambition

The automotive engineering department of the Russian corporation Awtowelo was responsible for the development of vehicles. In 1949 this development center got the order to develop a racecar. But this was anything but a usual order. This racecar was reserved for Wassilij Stalin, the son of the Russian head of state Josef Stalin. Considering this the project was not only a technical challenge but also a political one. Stalin’s son loved the speed and wanted to compete in the recently formed racing series Formula Two. But he wanted more than just to compete – he wanted to win. To make this possible almost half of the employees were dedicated to the Russian project. Based on the pre-war know-how of the Auto Union two Monopostos were set on its wheels, both driven by a V12 engine with almost 2 liter displacement and an output of 152 hp.

The racecar got the name 650 “Sokol” and was ready for first tests in 1951. In April 1952 Wassilij Stalin transferred the cars by plane to Russia. Almost insurmountable problems with the carburetor settings ruined any chance of an successful racing appearance. Finally both cars went back to the GDR.

After the death of Soviet leader Stalin on 5 March 1953 also his son Wassilij fell out of favor with the new authorities and the project was no longer supported. Both Monopostos remained in the GDR, were used for a film shooting and fell into oblivion shortly afterwards. Via different stations one of the cars found its way into the German museum PS Speicher. The chassis of the second car is part of the exhibition of the Saxon industrial museum in Chemnitz.