HORCH 1A GERMAN LIGHT CAR

The Horch 1A (or: Horch 108) was a German off-road passenger car from the interwar period and World War II. The first prototypes of this car were built in the mid-1930s, and serial production started in 1938 and lasted until 1941. The length of the vehicle was 4.85 m, with a height of 2.04 m and a width of 2 meters. The curb weight was up to 3,600 kilograms. The drive was provided by a single, 8-cylinder Auto-Union engine with a capacity of 3.8 liters and power up to 81 HP. With time, however, the Ford engine (produced in Germany) with a capacity of 78 HP was used. The Horch 1A was developed for the needs of the German armed forces, which, along with its rapid growth after 1933, aimed at obtaining a universal, light and possibly reliable passenger-off-road vehicle. The Horch plant met these needs by developing the vehicle presented below. The vehicle uses such solutions as, for example, all-wheel drive, independent suspension of each wheel or the possibility of turning all wheels. Anyway, the last solution turned out to be highly unsuccessful in the course of operation. It is worth noting that already in the course of World War II, the design of the car was simplified, which was manifested by, for example, the abandonment of the recesses in the fuselage for spare wheels. Horch 1A served in the German armed forces on virtually all fronts until 1945.