The cars we lost
Today, any person having a certain amount at his disposal can choose a passenger car of about seventy different brands. And this is if we talk only about the most basic of them. Lot? Yes, certainly a lot. However, among them, one cannot find many really interesting manufacturers, who at one time left a huge imprint in automotive history. About five car brands that we lost – read further in the selection.
1. Horch
The German company Horch was founded by August Horch at the very dawn of the automotive industry – in 1899. A year later, the first model of the brand was released – Horch 4-15 PS. From 1930 to 1940, the company was part of the Auto Union concern. It also included such brands as Wanderer, DKW and the notorious Audi today. The Auto Union emblem was four rings, each of which symbolized one brand.
What is only worth released in a single copy Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet. | Photo: blogcdn.com
What is only worth released in a single copy Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet. | Photo: blogcdn.com
According to the Auto Union hierarchy, Horch was positioned as a premium car manufacturer. And Horch brand brand fully complied with this image. Everything was there: a magnificent appearance, a chic interior and a powerful engine. What is only worth released in a single copy Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet. About how and for what purpose it was created, there is little information. What can be said for sure is that this gig is a true work of art. Unfortunately, after the war, the company Horch in Zwickau was in the Soviet occupation zone, and then in the GDR and already in the 1950s engaged in the production of trucks.
Thus ended the story of one of the brightest automotive manufacturers of the early 20th century. As for the other participants of the Auto Union concern, only the Audi company has survived, which arrogated to itself the famous “rings” of the brand and today is one of the largest automakers in the world.
2. DeLorean Motor Company
The automobile company DeLorean Motor Company for the time of its existence has produced only one car, which turned out to be very beautiful, but completely raw technically. Nevertheless, this machine is known to everyone who is at least a little familiar with world pop culture. This is about the DeLorean DMC-12 – the legendary “time machine” from at least the legendary trilogy of Robert Zemeckis “Back to the Future.” If on the screen the car sparkled with all the colors of its charisma, then in real life it was constantly haunted by problems. Production of the car began in 1981 at a factory in Northern Ireland.
A supercar made in Northern Ireland sounds far from being synonymous with quality. So it happened. The workers at the plant had low qualifications, resulting in huge quality problems. The engine in the car for nothing that was a V-shaped “six”, gave out only 130 hp and accelerated it to 100 km / h in 10.3 seconds – not at all in supercar. It was worth while the car is not at all cheap. All this led to the closure of production in 1983. By the time managed to collect 9,000 cars.
But still, despite the fact that the DeLorean DMC-12 left a dubious imprint in the automotive history, he definitely managed to sit in the heart of every 12-year-old boy who watched the adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown. And it turned out not every supercar, no matter how technologically advanced and successful it was.
3. Saab
Saab brand was founded in 1945 as a division of the company, which was engaged in the construction of military aircraft. Saab engineers managed to become pioneers in many ways. So, it was on the cars of this brand that turbocharging and direct injection first began to be massively applied. In addition to its technology, Saab cars were also famous for their durability and safety. The Swedes in the early 90s paid great attention to these issues, conducting heaps of crash tests of their cars.
