1937 Horch 853 Cabriolet

Dr. August Horch was an engineer for the Benz Company in Mannheim from 1896 to 1899, after which he resigned to found his own company in 1900. His initial car is regarded as the first German vehicle with a shaft-driven rear axle. As time passed, most Horch automobiles belonged to the luxury class and the firm developed a reputation for building both elegant and beautifully engineered automobiles. Horch introduced the 853 series of automobiles powered by SOHC straight-eight engines in 1931, with production continuing through 1939.

This is a Model 853, factory-bodied Cabriolet A purchased in 1952 from a German auto dealer by a United States serviceman named Captain Harold Young. Three years later, he traded it for a year-old Buick to Mr. J.C. Stevens who had a dealership in Binghamton, New York. Feeling he had gotten the wrong end of the deal, Mr. Stevens stored it in his barn at Cortland, New York, along with many other vehicles he had collected over the years. After his death in 2006, his family auctioned the car, along with 80 some others, that had been stored in his barn and the current owner purchased the Horch.

Although there is no documentation on the car before its sale to Captain Young, the Sevens family discovered an automatic pistol with Nazi markings under the back seat. The car has 'U.S. Armed Forces in Germany' license plates.

This 835 Cabriolet was powered by a 5-liter straight-eight engine, although unlike its Mercedes-Benz 500K rival, it was un-supercharged. The car is in very original, preserved condition. Remarkably, it has fewer than 36,000 miles from new.

The current owners purchased the car in 2006 at auction in its unrestored condition.