About Horch
Horch was the popular name for high-performance luxury motor cars manufactured in Germany by the company, August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century.
Founder
The company was established by August Horch, a former production manager for Karl Benz, and a partner on November 14, 1899 with a capital of 30,000 Goldmark at Ehrenfeld, near Cologne. Horch was also later the founder of the German automaker, Audi, which is named after the Latin translation of his surname (Latin word for the regional Saxon expression, horch, which is the imperative form of “hark” - "listen" in German).
Initial cars
The company initially began producing 5 and 10 hp twin-cylinder engine automobiles near Colon in 1901.
The first Horch had a 4.5 hp engine, with an alloy crankcase, a unique achievement in those days. It had an open-body design, with lighting provided by lanterns with candles in them. In contrast with the powerful cars of later years, the first Horch could barely reach a top speed of 32 km/h. It was significant at that time because it used a friction clutch, and also had a drive shaft to power the wheels.
