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Dominic's Auto Museum
One man's passionate quest to survey finest motorcars in the world

#0051 - Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet by Voll and Ruhrbeck, 1937

Photographed: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 2009. Note that the registration plate has been altered as a courtesy. Owner: Robert M. Lee

A Locomotive of a Car, but Without a Full Head of Steam: Though to most it is an obscure marque, Horch was a formidable competitor of Mercedes-Benz in Germany; the 853 sold very well against Mercedes' premier offering, the 540-K. From an engineering standpoint, however, Horch was far less ambitious than Mercedes-Benz. Where the big S series cars benefitted from the development of the brute force SSK racing cars, Horch internals were comparatively pedestrian. Both vehicles move under the power of a straight 8-cylinder of similar displacement, but the Horch remains naturally aspirated while the Benz adds forced induction. This means the Horch relies squarely on the torque its iron block produces, which was pretty much the whole motive formula for the first big luxury cars back in the early twentieth century—the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, for instance.

But consider the payload and proportions of this two-door cabriolet: A long wheelbase is coupled to an extended rear deck that seats a double continental kit, all of which is ornamented by one of the richest complements of chrome of any classic era custom body. Curb weight far exceeds 2½ tons, all for a limited number of passengers with only 105 brake horsepower to move it along. Sport Cabriolet it is not, particularly if we remark that a 540-K produces more horsepower even without its supercharger engaged. Nevertheless, that long bonnet with its two-tier set of tight louvres gives an imposing presence. This 853 is as intimidating as a 7-passenger sedan, and indeed larger than some of its limousine bodied contemporaries, only that there isn't much fire in the boiler.

Design Notes & First Impressions: Searching for origins of automotive design in the classic era leads to all sorts of aesthetic movements. If, for example, we relate Italian Futurism to the Figoni et Falaschi Torpedo design, and a mix of Art Deco and Streamlining to the Packard Twelve 1106 Aero Sport Coupe, then this Voll and Ruhrbeck coachwork relates to the Beaux Arts movement. The car's native habitat might be a chateaux with excessive Corinthian detail on an ostentatious portico, and heavy relief work over tall windows set in thick walls of smoothly hewn stone block. It is not an everyman design, but moreover isn't even an average effort for the custom coachwork set.

If you wish to be sophisticated, call the design a tour de force; or, if you chose to be blunt, call it just shy of overkill. My sentiment aside, this car of Pebble Beach encomium is immediately attractive and impressive. And in spite of what I may describe as shortcomings in the basic Horch 853 as compared to the Mercedes-Benz 540-K, the coachwork is wholly unique, with nothing else on the show field at Pebble Beach representing the same degree of individual style. For this reason, the Voll and Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet finds worth as Best of Show. Further, Pebble Beach judges would have remembered the Voll and Ruhrbeck designed Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet that joined the Best of Show nominees three years ago. That example carries a wild waterfall style grille flowing between over-accentuated front wheel skirts. It is fantastic, perhaps, but certainly not the visual embodiment of Type 57 Bugatti cars. Comparatively, this Horch 853 is a much more cohesive, elegant design, and at least in the moment is being considered the premier example of the breed.

Morphology: Voll and Ruhrbeck retained the stately Horch 853 grille, along with the basic shape of the front wheel skirts. However, nestled between these elements is a set of outrageously long headlamp pods; these follow the sweep of the running gear and taper to a near conical point at the front hinge of the doors. Backdrop for this unique chrome treatment is an exceptionally long bonnet featuring two rows of tightly packed vertical louvres. Somewhat conventional for this sort of automobile is a chrome French sweep along the flank. Less conventional is that this sweep is part of a set of chrome trim that nearly circumnavigates the car. This ornamental route begins at each marker light, trails down and along the running gear, and then loops under the double continental kit at the tail before returning along the opposite flank.

That continental kit is also less than conventional, and adds considerable length to the car, not to mention extra weight. The chassis of this particular 853 was lengthened to accommodate the set of spares, and it should be noted that both the coachwork and brightwork were carefully designed around this element, rather than simply hanging the tyres off the back. The kit is molded into the rear deck, aft of a luggage compartment, which is noted by a set of three large chrome hinges, and the tyres are cradled in a set of exceptional chrome sheathes. A retractable fabric top—albeit of an unremarkable color—collapses on top of itself for want of storage space, although it should be noted that, when raised, the Horch 853 top unfurls into one of the most flattering shapes of all classic era cabriolets.

Wire wheels are the same as on standard-bodied 853 cars, although many multi-colored liveried examples have matching painted wheels. Rear wheels are covered by ornamented skirts, and the body treatment wraps around the tail in a long, elegant motion thanks to the extra length demanded by the continental kit. The tail extension lends balanced proportions to this uncommonly long design, which is somewhat particular—not many classic era land yachts offset immense bonnet length with immense tail length.

Closing Down: I remember seeing a photo of this particular Horch in a classic car book I bought as a kid. Back then the car was black, and I don't think it had been brought to the U.S. yet. That said, much has been made of the restoration that took the car from matte to metallic, and much should be made of it. The quantity of chrome to trim the exterior and wood to trim the interior is equal to that of a few period cars, and the execution is, of course, top notch. So it isn't quite the cup of tea for those of us who tend toward athletic automobiles, but for elegance defined by grand style, it's just the ticket.

Sources:

Information provided on this automobile remains largely editorial. I'll be looking for more thorough source material.

Supercars.net: With story and photos of the winning Horch 853 provided by Richard Owen, who must have been in that frenzy to grab shots after the concours.

HowStuffWorks: With a nice piece on the Mercedes-Benz 540-K, along with photos of a beautiful two-tone green example.

 

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