Horch

D, 1900 – 1939

(1) A. Horch & Co, Cologne-Ehrenfeld, 1900 – 1902

(2) A. Horch & Co, Reichenbach/ Vogtland, 1902 – 1904

(3) A. Horch & Co, Motorwagenwerke AG, Zwickau, 1904 – 1939

August Horch was among the pioneers of car manufacture in Germany. He was employed as a an engineer with Benz from 1896 to 1899 when he started his own Horch car factory at Cologne. The first Horch car appeared in 1900. This Horch car had a 2-cylinder 5hp front-mounted engine and shaft drive. The next Horch models were a 2-cylinder 10/12hp and a 4-cylinder 16/20hp. After the Zwickau works had been set up in 1904 Horch was able to increase production. The Horch 18/22hp ohv 4-cylinder model of 1904 became very popular and was the basis for several subsequent Horch cars. A victory in the Herkomer Trial of 1906 was gained with this Horch car model, the first such success for a Horch. Horch also pioneered with his Horch Torpedo form aero-dynamic bodies for the Prince Henry Trials, which were built by Kathe of Halle. In 1906 a 6-cylinder 8-litre power unit was designed for Horch cars, developing 60bhp, but it was not a success and this was one cause of differences between Horch and his partners. Horch himself left the firm and started the Audi factory.

Various models with different engine sizes were included in the Horch car range, from the small Horch 6/18PS 1.588cc to the Horch 25/60PS 6.395cc. All Horch cars had 4-cylinder engines. After World War 1 the Horch 33/80PS 8.440cc model appeared, which had actually been designed in 1914. This Horch car started a series of prestige cars for which the make became famous in the following years. Paul Daimler (son of Gottlieb) was engaged as chief engineer in 1923. Ohc 4- and 6-cylinder Horch car models with fwb appeared in 1923/ 1924, but the first new Horch car under his management was the Horch 300 with a straight-8 3.230cc engine with twin overhead camshafts. In 1927 the ‘Horch 305’ and ‘Horch 306’ appeared, which also featured straight-8 engines, with twin overhead camshafts and a capacity of 3.375cc developing 75bhp. These Horch car models differed only in wheelbase. They were followed by the ‘Horch 375’ in 1928 with an 8-cylinder 3.974cc engine capable of 80bhp. After Daimler left Horch two more models (the Horch ‘400’ and ‘405’) were produced showing Daimler influence. The Horch 450 of 1930 was entirely new. This Horch car was straight-8 with only one overhead camshaft. Two different wheelbases and engines of 4, 4½ and 5 litres were available. The last of these stayed in the Horch car range until 1939, later Horch cars having 10-bearing crankshafts and all round independent suspension. Type numbers of Horch cars became a little confusing in the next few years, when some models were available with different wheelbases and engine capacities. A V12 with 5.990cc (Horch car models ‘600’ and ‘670’) appeared in 1931, followed by the V8 3.517cc ‘Horch 830B’ in 1933, available in two wheelbase and engine sizes. By 1939 the range consisted of the ‘Horch 930V’ and ‘Horch 830BL’(3.823cc, 92bhp) and the ‘Horch 951A’, ‘Horch 853A’ and ‘Horch 855’ (4.944cc, 120bhp). These Horch car models were available with different wheelbases and a variety of body styles from a two-seater roadster to a large Pullman saloon. The Horch car company was celebrated for luxurious ‘prestige’cars which were sold at lower prices than other top makes; a V8 cost £615 in England, and straight-8s from £985.

From 1932 Horch was a member of the Auto Union, and the racing cars bearing this name were built in the Horch car works. In 1945 the Horch car factory was nationalized and in 1956 it brought out a new Horch car. This had to be sold as the Sachsenring, as Auto Union, now based on Düsseldorf, hold the sole rights to the brand-names Horch, Audi and Wanderer.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HON

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Vermorel

France, 1908 – 1930

Etablissements V. Vermorel, Villefranche, Rhone

These makers of woodworking machinery were established in 1850 and were experimenting with Vermorel cars as early as 1902, though production of Vermorel cars did not start until 1908. Early Vermorel cars were conventional 1.8-litre T-head machines with 4-speed gearboxes and three-quarter-elliptic rear suspension. 2.2-litre and 3.3-litre cars of this type were listed in 1912, but 1913 saw the beginning of a more modern trend with the introduction of new L-head monobloc Vermorel carmodels, the 1½-litre 8/10hp Vermorel carand the 2.8-litre 16/20. The bigger Vermorel cars had V-radiators and were said to be capable of 72mph. A year later the last of the T-head Vermorel cars had been replaced by a 2.3-litre L-head 15/18, which Vermorel car reappeared after World War 1 in much the same guise. Also rather old-fashioned was the 1.7-litre 8/16CV Vermorel car of 1922, with its sv fixed-head engine, foot transmission brake, and cone clutch, though a dunamotor was fitted, the 4-speed gearbox had central change, and 4-wheel brakes were available. An ohv sports version Vermorel car with wire wheels was offered in 1923, and these two parallel Vermorel cars acquired full-pressure lubrication in 1925, and coupled brakes and plate clutches a year later. 1924 saw an ohc 16/60hp 4-cylinder Vermorel car with a 2.6-litre engine and detachable head, but this Vermorel car was clearly intended for formal coachwork with its 11ft 3in wheelbase. In 1927 the ZX type 1.7-litre Vermorel car was still being made, and there was also an undistinguished 1.100cc sv 4-cylinder Vermorel car on conventional lines. The last of the Vermorel cars was the type AH3 of 1929, a straightforward ohv 2-litre 6-cylinder with 12-volt coil ignition, a 4-speed unit gearbox with central change, semi-elliptic springs, and spiral bevel final drive. The Etablissements Vermorel abandoned Vermorel car manufacture in 1930.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS  

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com