Bask in the glory

by "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
Published 04/19/2017 at 16:31

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STARS: 3

Of this 1941 Horch 853 Sportcabriolet that was converted into a weird glass fire truck following WWII. I can’t find much info on it, so enlighten me if you can.

Replies (6)

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
04/19/2017 at 16:36, STARS: 1

Wow!, even Willy Wonka didn’t have anything like this.

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
04/19/2017 at 16:39, STARS: 1

It looks like a ‘46 Chevy mated with a ‘50s Magirus Deutz bus and gave the offspring to her older sister the ‘48 Pontiac to raise.

"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
04/19/2017 at 17:14, STARS: 1

After the war, as they had to make due with what had survived, it was pretty common to re-body pre-war luxury cars with truck bodies. BOF constructions and large/high power engines made them perfect candidates.

Why they chose this weird shape evades me, though. My best guess is that they had those glass???? panels lying around from some bus project that never was.

"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
04/19/2017 at 17:23, STARS: 2

http://artdork66.tumblr.com/post/98943160151/astrangerreplay-november-1945-a-team-of-brno

There are obvious translation issues with the text (I’ve seen several different versions, all more or less incomprehensible).

My take, just an educated guess using a little common sense:

“In November 1945, a fire brigade in Brno, Czechoslovakia, purchased this vehicle, a Horch 853 Sportcabriolet built in 1941. The car was converted into a fast response vehicle for six crew and firefighting equipment. Car was designed and converted by Mr T.Lepil between 1946 and 1949.”

I wonder who they purchased the car from? It may have been a former German staff car.

Also that plexiglass roof looks as if it started life in an aircraft.

Also: from wiki http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:AS_12_Horch_85

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
04/19/2017 at 18:37, STARS: 2

A little more information (from http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14244&page=2 , post no. 20)

This particular car started life as a 1940-1941 Horch 853 sport cabriolet in November of 1945. You have to remember that after the war, anything that was still functional was pressed into service. Having no use for a sports cabriolet, and instead needing a fire engine, the car was converted. The body design was by a company called Lepil from Rousinov near Brno, the acrylic glass roof was built by a local company. This car was converted for the Brno-Komin fire department.

"AuthiCooper1300" (rexrod)
04/19/2017 at 18:50, STARS: 2

and a little more (from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/time-for-a-commercial-break.994466/page-7 , post no. 181):

The chassis is a 1941 Horch 853 A (8 cyl. in line, bore x stroke 87 x 104 mm, 4944 cc, 120 hp) with wheelbase 3450 mm, track F/R 1510/1516 mm, chassis weight 1900 kg, with special body by Lepil of Rousinov, built during 1945-1949, and water pump by Hrcek & Neugebauer of Brno-Kralovo Pole. This car is now owned by voluntary fire brigade in Brno-Komin.