Horch 8/400 Tourer 1930 Cream

Horch 8/400 Tourer 1930 Cream by Autocult

Daimler’s Dream  

Even today the name ‘Horch’ is synonymous for highly sophisticated luxury vehicles of the very highest quality among car enthusiasts. This era is often chronologically identified in the 1920s and 1930s, and especially with the typology ‘Horch 8’. The number eight simply stood for the number of cylinders of the engine. Such a massive and at the same time powerful engine was regarded as pure luxury in the 1920s; but this was exactly the ambition of its constructor – Paul Daimler. The name ‘Daimler’ alone radiated the aura of one of the greatest inventors in automotive history at that time, since Paul was the eldest son of the legendary Gottlieb Daimler. From 1924, Paul Daimler worked on the project to couple two four-cylinder engines to derive an 8-cylinder engine.   The reaction at the premiere of the car designated as ‘Horch 8’ at the German Motor Show in Berlin in 1926 was extremely positive and it was emphasized at all times that it was the first German passenger car with an 8-cylinder drive. Internal the car was listed under the abbreviation ‘303’. Already in 1927 Horch presented the successor types – the type 305 and 306, which featured an increased displacement of 3.4 liters and a horsepower of 65. Ultimately the type 350 was Paul Daimlers last construction. He left Horch at the age of 60 years and Fritz Fielder took over his place. With a significant weight reduction of the types 350 and 375, he continued the development of the 8-cylinder series. Under his direction, the type 400 and 405 were created, which differed in the wheelbases, with the type 405 being the longer version. After a four-year episode, these two vehicles initially marked the end of the large Horch models remained on the offer of Horch from 1930 to 1931.   In the end with almost 8,500 vehicles produced this series can clearly be described as successful. With the type 400 and 405, the spirit of Paul Daimler was finally thrown overboard, because these successor types were already fitted with new 8-cylinder engines designed by Fritz Fiedler.