August Horch began his own car company A. Horch and Cei, in 1899. He left the company in 1909 due to managerial differences with board members. He returned to the auto industry in 1932 when four companies Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged into Auto Union, beginning the four rings which symbolized the individual partners and which Audi is presently known for. The 853 model cars were built during this last tenure.
Horch 853’s and 853A’s were built on straight 8’s with 5 liters of displacement, yielding 100hp, the 853A had 120hp. Production numbers of Horch 853’s and 853A’s together total just under 1,000.
This Horch 853 appears to be the second only Horch ever to have been bodied by coachbuilder Volt and Rubrbeck. Volt and Rubrbeck was a German coachbuilder in business from 1920 until 1939. It bodied many of the best chassis from prestigious automobile firms such as Bugatti, Maybach, Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce. The firm was destroyed during WWII from allied bombing raids and records were also lost.
Exhaustive efforts were made to restore this 853 to original standards, no part went un-researched as to authenticity or originality by the restoration team.
This was the “Best in Show Concours d’Elegance” winner in 2014 at Amelia Island.
You may purchase a print in our dElegance 2014 online gallery.
