1936 Horch Model 853

August Horch was born in Winningen in 1868. After a technical education at engineering school, he worked for a marine engine manufacturer in Leipzig. This job was followed by a position managing Karl Benz's motor works at Mannheim, followed by Horch seeking financial backing for his venture. His departure from Benz's motor works was prompted by frustrations over the conservative approach and regarding the rear-engined 'horseless carriages' as outdated. Horch's first automobile of 1900 featured a front-mounted, twin-cylinder engine and shaft-driven rear axle. Larger four and six-cylinder models followed. Horch was active in competitions and trials of the day, though these excursions would bring August into conflict with his fellow directors and force his departure in 1909 to found Audi.

Paul Daimler, son of Gottlieb, was hired as Chief Engineer in 1923 to modernize the engines in the lineup. The first car to benefit from his expertise was the 300 Model. Power was from a 3.2-liter, double-overhead camshaft straight-eight engine. After Daimler's departure, Fritz Fiedler designed a single-overhead-camshaft straight-eight engine for the Horch 450, followed by the 6-liter V-12 powered 600 and 670 Models in 1931 and the 3.5-liter V8 engined 830B in 1933. Horch attracted wealthy clientele, and their cars wore elaborate and exclusive bodies ranging from cabriolets to limousines.

Horch became part of the Auto Union in 1932, joining Audi, DKW, and Wanderer. In 1936, Horch introduced the 4.9-liter Type 853 with power by a Fiedler-design, SOHC, ten-bearing straight-eight mounted in a well-built chassis and fitted with a four-speed overdrive gearbox with servo-assisted hydraulic brakes providing the stopping power. The 853 and 853a would remain in production until the outbreak of war, by which time 950 of these exclusive vehicles had been built.

After World War II, Horch's Zwickau factory ended up on the eastern side of the border, where it would eventually be pressed into service manufacturing the utilitarian Trabant.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019