Horch history experts will tell You that Horch designed a stylish streamlined Horch Limousine, the 930 S, in 1939. This car certainly wasn’t meant to get Your hands dirty, as it sported a little foldable washing basin in its right front wing ! So a tyre change or other (mechanical) misfortune would leave no traces…for its refined occupants. The car was based on the Horch 930 V8 chassis, the engine had a displacement of 3,8 litres and was 92 HP strong, so this car with a Cx of a mere 0.43 must have been quite fast...

When looking at the picture of the car, one sees immediately that its aerodynamics are quite good, and one sees also a certain family resemblance with the streamlined DKW F9 which was introduced the same year.

First timid attempts were indeed made to introduce a kind of Auto Union « house » styling. Certainly the finish and typical shape of the boot lids on Horch, Audi and DKW’s of the late thirties points to this too.

The streamliner rebuilt after the war for the party dignitaries...  

The Russian occupants in Zwickau ordered three of these streamlined cars to be built. The bodies of these cars were hand made and the chassis and engines were still found in pre-war stocks. As more engines and mechanical parts were found, another batch of four cars was made, albeit with more simple, less ornamented bodies.

Inspired by American icons...

The sole prototype was inspired by the Nash Ambassador and had almost the same grille as its American example. Sadly, all these ornaments have been damaged, replaced or simply dissapeared...as one sees on the car now in the museum, being resprayed in rakish red...   

But in the early post-war years, the revolutionary shapes of Studebakers, Nash Ambassadors and Hudsons inspired the stylists in Zwickau. So when in April 1948 the ideas ripened for a « new » Horch, it was meant to follow the path set by these American icons. Actually, a Rambler Ambassador found its way into the Horch styling department … and inspired the designers. The result – or rather what remains of it - is to be seen in the August Horch Museum in Zwickau. A sad looking prototype, in a very sorry state, with broken front window and dirty interior.

Only the boot lid is in the original colour of the car, or is it a replacement? The elongated chromium bumper sides have gone, and the chassis platform has corroded badly 

The plate comments proudly however « that the styling of this car surpassed greatly its American example ». Touching, to read these lines of pure DDR propaganda in this museum today, and find it repeated in the beautiful book describing the museum and its collection. Old habits, it seems, never die.

Proud comments

The comments in the museum book on this car continue with the same proudness : « Together with the better aerodynamic properties, the proportions of the car were also improved and the car has a more elegant appearance than its example ».

The luxury car was planned to have airconditioning, and of course a radio.   Money was of course missing to bring the car in series production. Apparently, after a first 1 : 5 scale model, only this single prototype was built in 1950, of which we show You a detailed picture of its front grille. Indeed, the car, which bears chassis number M 505- 0001 looked a lot better then as we show You here . The car had the gearbox blocked to its differential, and had a « Autobahn Schnellgang » or motorway overdrive. Originally black, it has afterwards apparently been repainted a rakish red, and lost a lot of its ornaments and accessories, like its original grille with central headlamp. The towbar at the rear shows that it has been put through some very harsh use. The engine was a 3.3 litre straight six, with some 75 hp at 3.300 rpm.

But the story has a happy ending, as we read in very small letters in the museum catalogue next to the picture of the car, « geht demnächst in Restauration » which we would translate literally as « goes soon in restauration ». If we find out how and when it happens, we will report about it !

A second part of this story will follow soon, this time about the Sachsenring P 240…

Hans Knol ten Bensel