The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held every year at the exclusive Pebble Beach golf course overlooking the Pacific ocean, is the finest and most exclusive automotive event on the planet (see our feature story for this month). The Concours is an event that highlights the art of the automobile – the epitome of which, every year, is a machine that’s crowned ‘Best of Show. This year, that honour went to a 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet, owned by Robert M. Lee from Nevada in the US.

The story of Horch is an interesting one – after working with Karl Benz for a few years, August Horch started producing cars under his own name as August Horch & Cie in 1899. In the early 20th century, Horch automobiles were considered to be superior to cars built by both Mercedes and Benz, which were separate companies at the time. In 1909, August Horch left the company bearing his name to form Audi in 1909. Production of Horch vehicles continued without him, and in 1935 the Horch Company introduced a new model with a 5 liter, straight-eight engine, called the Horch 850. The shorter wheelbase 853 model was popular among Germany’s rich and famous. At the time, it offered the height of luxury at a competitive price.



This exquisitely restored Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet has coachwork by the Voll and Ruhrbeck Company of Berlin, one of Germany’s most avant-garde coach builders – famous for some of the world’s finest roadsters. The last Horch was built in 1958.

From every angle, the Horch 853 is an exquisite example and a stunning car indeed.