1931 Horch 480 Cabriolet. Registration No. Unregistered.… - Collector's Cars - Bonhams & Goodman (No longer trading)

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1931 Horch 480 Cabriolet. Registration No. Unregistered. Chassis No. 480 25. Engine No. 5. Exciting new research has shown that this car, owned by prominent car collector Peter Briggs, is a rare survivor of the last days of the Indian Raj when polo and game shooting were the sports of choice for the Indian aristocracy and luxury cars were collected by the dozen from the great car makers of Europe. One of the founding fathers of the German automobile industry, August Horch was born in Winningen in 1868, and following an technical education at engineering school, worked for a marine engine manufacturer in Leipzig. His next job was managing Karl Benz's motor works at Mannheim, but frustration with his employer's conservative approach prompted Horch to seek financial backing for his own venture. Horch regarded Benz's rear-engined 'horseless carriages' as out-dated, and his first automobile of 1900 featured a front-mounted, twin-cylinder engine and shaft-driven rear axle, the first time this latter innovation had been seen in Germany. Larger four- and six-cylinder models followed, and Horch became active in the trials and competitions of the day, though ultimately this policy would bring August into conflict with his fellow directors and force his departure in 1909 to found Audi. In 1923 Horch engaged Paul Daimler, son of Gottleib, as Chief Engineer, the first car to bear his stamp being the '300'. This was powered by a 3.2-litre, double-overhead-camshaft, straight eight engine, and power units of this type would be favoured by Horch throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After Daimler's departure Fritz Fiedler (later of Bmw fame) took over, designing a single-overhead-cam straight-eight - the Horch 450 - which was followed by 6-litre V12-powered 600 and 670 models in 1931 and the 3.5-litre V8-engined 830B in 1933. In 1932 the company became part of the Auto Union together with Audi, Dkw and Wanderer. Horch produced a veritable plethora of model variations in the 1930s, ringing the changes on engine capacity, wheelbase and styles of coachwork, but all were aimed squarely at the prestige end of the market where Horch was the only serious domestic rival to Mercedes-Benz. After World War II, Horch's Zwickau factory ended up on the eastern side of the border where it would eventually be pressed into service manufacturing the utilitarian Trabant - a sad end to a once noble marque that had ranked among the very best. This Horch 480 came into the possession of the Gove family in 1934 when Robert Gove was given it by the 17-year-old Maharajah Brijendra Singh of Bharatpur as a gift or in part payment for a prize horse. (The deal is known to have been done in late 1933 or early 1934 although the exact circumstances of how one of Germany's best cars ended up in Australia remain uncertain). Both men's fathers and their families had long enjoyed a great friendship. Julius Gove sold horses to the Indian Government and aristocracy for two decades before he passed away in 1922. They were fine Australian horses of all kinds - polo mounts, racehorses and many thousands of steeds for the Indian Army. The Australian horses, known as Walers, were renowned in India. It was not unusual for a single racehorse to sell for £3,000. The business had been good to the family and Julius Gove created a fortune for his four siblings to enjoy. His contacts in India reached into the highest echelons of colonial society and his family were able to move just as easily through high society in India as they did in Melbourne. Two of his sons even served in the Bombay Light Horse while another was the Prince of Wales' polo teacher. Described as eccentric and extravagant, the young Maharajah's father, Kishan Singh, bought game animals at inflated prices and let them loose in his game park for his shikar (shooting) trips. Kishan Singh was reputed to have kept 30 Rolls-Royces in his royal garages including five smaller 20hp models and one specially equipped for tiger shooting. When

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Unclassified