1937 Horch 853

August Horch was born in Winningen in 1868 and received a technical education at an engineering school, followed by employment at a marine engine manufacturer in Leipzig. This was followed by a job managing Karl Benz's motor works at Mannheim. He later left to seek financial backing to fund his venture, and his first automobile was built in 1900. It was powered by a front-mounted, twin-cylinder engine and had a shaft-driven rear axle. Over the years, later four- and six-cylinder models followed. After conflict and differences with his directors arose, August was forced to depart from the company that bore his name in 1909. He left and founded Audi.

In 1923, Paul Daimler (the son of Gottlieb) was hired as Chief Engineer, and the first Horch he was responsible for was the 3.2-liter, double-overhead-camshaft, straight-eight engined Model 300. After Daimler left Horch, he was replaced by Fritz Fiedler of BMW fame, who designed a single-overhead-cam straight-eight for the Horch 450. This was followed by a 6-liter V-12 powered model 600 and 670 in 1931 and the 3.5-liter 830B with V8 power in 1933.

During the 1930s, Horch produced a plethora of model variations, which had various engine sizes, wheelbase, and coachwork styles. In 1932, Horch became part of the Auto Union which included Audi, Wanderer, and DKW.

The 4.9-liter Type 853 was introduced in 1936. It had a Fiedler-designed, single overhead camshaft, ten-bearing straight-eight engine mated to a four-speed gearbox. It had a well-built and solid chassis with servo-assisted hydraulic brakes. The bodies were built to the highest standards and given the finest leathers and materials.

During its production lifespan, which continued up to the outbreak of war, just 950 of the 853/853a were built. When peace resumed and World War II ended, Horch's Zwickau factory was on the eastern side of a divided Germany. These factories were eventually put into service to manufacture the Trabant.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019