1939 Horch 930V Phaeton
edited by David Barth, 23 November 2008.
Courtesy The Auto Collections showroom at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las, Vegas, Nevada, USA. Photos were
taken 18 November 2008.
The information presented below is from "Imperial Palace Auto Collection" by Ralph Engelstad, owner of the hotel/casino
and the automobiles until his death in 2002.
Identification number: 931591
This car is one of two in existence.
The Horch 930V models were introduced after Horch BL series production ended. The first 930's were built from 1937 to 1939 with a V-8 engine producing 82 hp. It had a shorter wheelbase than the 830BL which was 3100mm instead of 3350mm.
In 1938 the engine output was increased from 82 hp to 92 hp. A total of 2054 930V's were built from 1937 to 1939. In 1939 795 vehicles were produced. There were many body styles available, including sedans, 4-door cabriolets, 2-door cabriolets, and 2-door roadsters called the Glaser.
There were very few 1939 930V 4-door open tourers built, so few that the model was never included in the official sales list or prospectus. It was a special-order car. Of the two survivors, there is this car and another one at the military collection of Oliver Bentfort in England.
At the time these photos were taken, the price was $300,000.
August Horch was born in 1868 in Germany. He established Horch in 1899 and Audi in 1909. He started out as an engineer for Carl Benz, working for three years in that capacity. After he established Horch in 1899, he was forced out of that company in 1909. Paul Daimler, the son of pioneer Gottleib Daimler, became chief engineer of Horch.
Horch embarked on an ambitious V-12 project during the early Thirties, headed by Fritz Fiedler. Later, Fiedler went to BMW where he developed the 328 and 507 models.
In the mid-1920's, Horch was the first company in Germany to put straight-eight engines in cars. At the end of the 1920's, the Horch was eclipsed by the Mercedes Benz 770K and Maybach's Zeppelin. Horch management decided to beat the competition by introducing a V-12 powered Type 600 which was exhibited at the Paris Salon in the autumn of 1931. Due to world-wide economic weakness, only twenty 600s were built. The Type 670 was built between 1931 and 1934 with the V16 driving a shorter wheelbase car of 125 inches. The Type 670 was offered in two versions, but only 58 were built.
- Horch V-12 characteristics:
- Angle between cylinder banks: 60 degrees
- Camshaft: Single-overhead
- Bore: 80mm
- Stroke: 100mm
- Displacement: 6.0 liters (368 cubic inches)
- Power: 120 hp at 3,200 rpm
- Weight: 5,390 lbs
- Seats: Five
- Top speed: 85 mph
- Transmission: Four-speed with the world's first synchromesh in all four gears
- Windsheild design: Many models from the early 1930's have angled corner windows
