LOT 188

1936 Horch 851 Limousine Chassis no. 851057

Sold for €345,000 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 188

1936 Horch 851 Limousine

Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris|6 February 2025, 14:00 CET|Paris, The Grand Palais Historique

1936 Horch 851 Limousine
Chassis no. 851057

• Rare German thoroughbred
• 5.0-litre straight-eight engine
• Same family ownership since 1981
• German registration document

In 1932 Horch became part of the 'Auto Union' together with Audi, DKW, and Wanderer. The firm produced a veritable plethora of model variations throughout the 1930s, ringing the changes on engine capacity, wheelbase, and styles of coachwork, but all were aimed squarely at the prestige end of the market where Horch was the only serious domestic rival to Mercedes-Benz.
After WW2, Horch's Zwickau factory ended up on the eastern side of the 'Iron Curtain' where it would eventually be pressed into service manufacturing the utilitarian Trabant - a sad end to a once noble marque that had ranked among the very best.
First registered on 15th September 1938 in Germany, this rare and exclusive Horch 851 limousine was bought by our vendor from a gentlemen in Bochum, Germany in 1981 and has remained in the same family's possession ever since. The car comes with its original German Fahrzeugbrief and some invoices.

Footnotes

1936 Horch 851 Limousine

Châssis n°851057

• Rare pur-sang allemand
• Huit-cylindres en ligne de 5,0 litres
• Propriété de la même famille depuis 1981
• Document d'immatriculation allemand

En 1932, Horch devint membre d'Auto Union, en compagnie d'Audi, de DKW et de Wanderer. La marque produisit au cours des années 1930 une véritable pléthore de variantes en jouant sur les cylindrées, les empattements et les styles de carrosserie, mais toutes visaient clairement le haut de gamme, un marché sur lequel Horch était le seul véritable concurrent national de Mercedes.

Après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, l'usine Horch de Zwickau se retrouva du côté oriental du rideau de fer et finit par produire la très terre-à-terre Trabant, une bien triste fin pour une marque autrefois noble qui avait fait partie des meilleures.

Immatriculée paour la première fois le 15 septembre 1938 en Allemagne, cette limousine Horch 851, rare et exclusive, fut achetée en 1981 par son vendeur à un gentleman de Bochum et elle est restée au sein de la même famille depuis. Elle est proposée munie de son Fahrzeugbrief allemand d'origine et de certaines factures.

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