All you need to know about ... HORCH
Born: 1899 Nationality: German
Blacksmith August Horch initially worked as an engine builder with Carl Benz in Mannheim. After becoming head of motor vehicle construction, he founded Horch & Cie. His first car was rolled out in 1901.
An innovator from the beginning, Horch built his engine blocks and gearbox casings from cast aluminium. The engines of his early cars were 2-cylinder, and he was among the first automobile builders to use a friction clutch, and a drive shaft instead of chain chain drive. His first 4-cylinder car was built in 1903.
In early financial difficulties, he took on partners, and in 1904 set up a new manufacturing operation in Zwickau in Saxony. Over the next three years, Horch's cars gained a reputation as being more technologically advanced than even those of Benz.
However, despite recognition and popularity of its products, helped by a series of successes in racing, the company was again struggling financially and after a series of disputes with his board, August Horch left in 1909 and founded a new car company, which he called Audi - apparently because that was the Latin for a translation of his name, meaning "Hark!" or "Listen!".
The original Horch company continued to build cars under the direction of new chief designer George Paulmann. Among those he introduced was a smaller than normal Horch, the "Pony", powered by a 2,582cc engine.
In the first World War, the Horch plant built armoured cars for the German army. After the war, a majority shareholding was acquired by an aero engine manufacturer, Argus. As business improved, the company produced a number of models through the 1920s, including the very successful 2,630cc 10/50 of 1924. A straight-eight of 3,132cc in 1926, designed by Gottleib Daimler's son Paul, begat a range of 8-cylinder cars which were to become the defining Horchs.
Horchs of the 1930s were considered to be among the top levels of luxury cars and owners regularly specified bodywork by the best coachbuilders of the day.
In one of the many automotive history quirks of fate, August Horch's Audi company got into financial difficulties, and in 1932 his original Horch enterprise merged with Audi, Wanderer, and DKW to form Auto Union.
Each brand continued to build their own models, while Auto Union built racers designed by Ferdinand Porsche, which were built in the Horch plant at Zwickau. Some of the race-bred technologies eventually were used by the constituent brands of Auto Union. And today, the four interlocking rings that symbolise modern Audis are taken from the Auto Union symbol, where the rings represented each of the four original brands.
In 1933 a new series was produced by Horch, with V8 engines in sizes ranging from 3-litre to 3.8 litres, and in the latter half of the decade came the 5-litre straight-eight "850" series cars using a De Dion rear axle developed for the race cars.
These cars, designated 853 and 853A (pictured), were followed by a more powerful 951A, and lesser versions were also available with less powerful V8 engines of 3.5-litres and 3.8 litres. Despite the difficulties for luxury car makers in the mid-1930s, Horch managed to sell quite well. But by the time civilian automobile production in Germany ended with the outbreak of the second Word War it was again in financial difficulties. The name as a car brand didn't survive the war, but a Horch Museum was opened in Zwickau last September. The name is owned today by Volkswagen Audi Group.
Best Car: Generally agreed to be the 853 and 853A cars of the early 1930s.
Worst Car: None admitted.
Weirdest Car: Never even considered.