Horch 12
| Horch Type 600/670 | |
|---|---|
 Horch 670 at Cité de l'Automobile, Mulhouse, Alsace, France | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Horch |
| Production |
|
| Assembly | Zwickau, Germany |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size luxury car (F) |
| Body style | 4-door cabriolet 2-door cabriolet 4-door saloon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6,031 cc (6.0L) V12 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual /optional overdrive |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,450 mm (136 in) (Type 670) 3,750 mm (148 in) (Type 600) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Horch 8 |
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The Horch Type 600 and Horch Type 670, collectively the Horch 12, is a 12-cylinder luxury car made by the German manufacturer Horch. The 670 was built from 1931 to 1934, and the larger and heavier (and consequently lower-performing) 600 from 1932-1933. The V12 engine put the car in a rarified sphere of early 12-cylinder luxury cars.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
History
[edit]The Horch 12 was the first and only Horch to be powered by a V12 engine, positioning itself above the Horch 8 series, powered by an inline-eight. However, the Wall Street crash of 1929 made selling such a vehicle a difficult task, even though the Horch was priced considerably lower than period competitors such as the Maybach Zeppelin, Hispano-Suiza J12, and Grosser Mercedes.[7]
The first model in the series, the 670, was presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1931. The 670 was a huge two-door, four-seat convertible by Gläser of Dresden, which used the same chassis as the Horch 8 with a wheelbase of 3.45 metres.
In 1932 the 600 was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, which was structurally and mechanically identical to the 670 but was available as a four-door limousine or six-seat convertible. These two additional seats were made possible by using the chassis of the 500B with a wheelbase of 3.75 metres.
23 Horch 600s were produced between 1932 and 1933. After the discontinuation of the 600, only the 670 remained, of which 58 were made between 1932 and 1934. A total of 81 V12 chassis were produced, of which four 670 convertibles survive.[5] The Horch 12 did not receive a direct successor, so the Horch model range from then on consisted only of 8-cylinder models.
Design
[edit]The Horch 12's V12 engine was designed by Werner Strobel and Horch's then-Technical Director Fritz Fiedler[5] and consisted of two banks -of six cylinders each- in a 66-degree V configuration with a total displacement of 6021 cc, and featured a crankshaft with seven bearings. The camshaft, driven by a chain with an automatic tensioning device, was located centrally between the two cylinder banks and operated the horizontally arranged sidevalves via rocker arms. The sealing surface between the cylinder block and head, and thus also the head gasket, was angled. The engine produced a maximum output of 120 PS (88 kW) at 3,200 rpm.[8] This power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a manual four-speed transmission with ZF overdrive. The 670 model could attain a maximum speed of 145 km/h (90 mph),[9] with the 600 model slightly slower.
The engine was equipped with hydraulic valve control, a system that was decades ahead of its time.[6] The driver could supply lubricating oil to the cylinders and pistons via a dedicated line system from the dashboard, which increased compression and thus facilitated cold starts.
The chassis featured rigid axles with leaf springs, which was common practice at the time. The hydraulic braking system with its Bosch Dewandre brake servo, however, was ahead of the usual technical trends of the time. A special feature of the Horch 12 was its permanently installed hydraulic jacks for changing wheels.
Technical data
[edit]| 670 | 600 | |
|---|---|---|
| Year of introduction | 1931–1934 | 1932–1933 |
| Platform | Cb2 | PL4, PC4 |
| Engine | Twelve cylinder V four stroke gasoline engine | |
| Valve timing | Flathead engine (side operated) | |
| Bore × Stroke | 80 mm × 100 mm | |
| Displacement | 6031 cc | |
| Maximum power | 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp) at 3200 rpm | |
| Consumption | ca. 26 l/100 km | ca. 28 l/100 km |
| Top speed | 140 km/h | 130 km/h |
| Curb weight | 2300 kg | 2500 kg |
| Total weight | 2950 kg | 3200 kg |
| On board voltage | 12 Volt | |
| Chassis Frame | U-profile pressed steel frame, bolted to the body | |
| Suspension | Rigid axles with semi-elliptical springs and hydraulic shock absorbers | |
| Brakes | Hydraulically operated drum brakes on all four wheels, mechanically operated parking brake, acting on the rear wheels | |
| Length | 5400 mm | 5550 mm |
| Width | 1820 mm | |
| Height | 1650 mm | 1720 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3450 mm | 3750 mm |
| Front/Rear Track | 1470 mm/1500 mm | |
| Turning Circle | 14.5 m | 16.5 m |
- PL4 = 4 door Pullman limousine
- PC4 = 4 door Pullman convertible
- Cb2 = 2 door Convertible
Legacy
[edit]Only a handful of Horch 12s are known to survive today (four confirmed convertibles according to most sources, though some references mention up to six). Surviving examples are displayed in museums including the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt, the Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, France, and the ZeitHaus at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. The model remains a symbol of Horch's engineering ambition during the final years of independent luxury-car production before the Auto Union era and the onset of World War II.[10]
Gallery
[edit]
1932 Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet
1932 Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet
1932 Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet
1932 Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet
1932 Horch 670 Sport Cabriolet
1932 Horch 670
1932 Horch 670
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Bibliography
[edit]- Kirchberg, Peter; Pönisch, Jürgen (2006). Horch: Typen, Technik, Modelle (in German) (1 ed.). Bielefeld: Delius Klasing. ISBN 3-7688-1775-X.
- Schrader, Halwart (2002). Deutsche Autos - Band 1 (in German) (1 ed.). Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verl. ISBN 3-613-02211-7.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Horch Typ 670 V12 Der leise Riese" [Horch Typ 670 V12 The quiet giant]. autozeitung.de (in German). 1 December 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ Kirchberg, Peter; Pönisch, Jürgen (2006). Horch: Typen, Technik, Modelle [Horch: Types, technology, models] (1 ed.). Bielefeld: Delius Klasing. ISBN 9783768817752.
- ↑ Wiecking, K.; Gebauer, R. (1951). Die Motoren der Personenkraftwagen [The Engines of Passenger Cars]. Stuttgart: Belser Verlag.
- ↑ Lintelmann, Reinhard. Voitures de sport. Vitesse et élégance. De 1900 à nos jours [Sports cars. Speed and elegance. From 1900 to the present day.] (in French). p. 17. ISBN 9783625131762.
- 1 2 3 "Horch 670 V - Autostadt". Autostadt (in German).[dead link]
- 1 2 "Horch 12". Klassiekerweb (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ Takashima, Shizuo (25 July 1977). "Vintage Car Salon: 1939 Horch 853 Cabriolet". Car Graphic (in Japanese). No. 197, issue 8/77. Nigensha Publishing Co., Ltd. p. 122.
- ↑ Gallery - V12 Engine. Bentley Publishers - Repair Manuals and Automotive Books. ISBN 1-84425-004-0. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ "Horch 670 V12". www.wolfsburg-tourist.de. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ↑ Kierse, Matthias (31 August 2021). "90 Years of Horch 12". Secret Classics. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
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