Beschrijving
Horch 855 Spezial Roadster Replica
August Horch founded the Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG in 1899 after working as a production manager for the creator of the first practical automobile, Karl Benz. Perhaps inspired by Benz Horch was extremely pioneering with his cars, his first production car built in utilized an alloy crankcase, a friction clutch and a conventional drive shaft, all three revolutionary advancements for the era. Horch’s pioneering nature, while generally brilliant often landed in him in troubles with his finances and his shareholders. August was booted out of the first incarnation of Horch by his chief financial officer and forced out of his subsequent motor company by his shareholders, subsequently forming a motor company using the Latin translation of his last name: ‘Audi’
The technical pioneering and search for excellence which typified the marque are clearly visible in its cars, which are nothing less than automotive sculptures of beauty, design and mechanical performance. The most famous of these series of sculptures is the line of Spezial-Roadsters. Incredibly expensive for their time the Spezial Roadsters were high-performance two-seater convertibles that filled a unique niche, its only direct competitor being the Mercedes 500K series. Adored by the richest and most famous of their time, these automobiles are the apex of 30’s design and beauty.
This particular car is A 855 Spezial Roadster replica based upon an original Horch 853 chassis, with coachwork built to the original specification of Horch coachbuilder Gläser. The construction of this replica was undertaken by Horch Classic GmbH and was completed with originality in mind, recreating as many original details as possible. This replica is fitted with a historically correct 5-liter straight 8-cylinder engine with a single overhead cam.
Viewing by appointment only.
