Horch Early Touring Cars History

August Horch built his first automobile in 1901 near Cologne — a twin-cylinder car of around 5 hp with an alloy crankcase, an advanced touch for the era, capable of barely 32 km/h. He had previously worked as a production manager for Karl Benz, and the engineering rigour of that experience shaped every Horch from the first.

After relocating first to Reichenbach (1902) and then to Zwickau, Saxony (1904), the company grew into a respected maker of large touring cars. August Horch developed the company's first six-cylinder engine in 1904; it appeared in production cars from 1907. A Horch driven by Dr. Rudolf Stöss won the prestigious Herkomer Competition in 1906, cementing the brand's sporting credentials.

August Horch departed the company in 1909 following a dispute with its supervisory board and founded what would become Audi — naming it the Latin translation of 'Horch' (both mean 'listen'). Horch continued under new management, building refined six-cylinder and later larger-engined luxury cars through the 1910s and early 1920s, setting the stage for the breakthrough straight-eight.