Back to back: Horch or Maybach Special Roadster?

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Wow! Paris’ Rétromobile is bound to become another stunning show, if only it was for the cars being brought over to the French capital by Bonhams auctioneers, both in quality as in quantity, it seems. Keeping things French we would have had plenty to choose from for our little ‘back to back’ comparison here. Several Bugatti’s, Delahayes a Delage and a Talbot-Lago to even this 1913 Brasier - a stunner in every respect.

But two cars that stand out for this miniature assessment as no two others are formed by a duo of German ‘Spezialroadsters’ or ‘Special Roadsters’. Both 1937 cars with their archetypical long and lavish bodies with ‘V’ windscreens, relatively small cabins and sweeping wings. But both with similar and perhaps questionable histories also. Decide for yourself.

First of them is a 1937 Horch 853 that was built over a period of seven years in the spirit of the original Special Roadster by specialist Horch Classic. They used an original 853 chassis, reportedly acquired in the Ukraine where it had been in service as a farm tractor (we'd love a picture of that). From the seller’s blurb: “It was intended to mirror the best features of both the first- and second-generation Spezialroadsters, borrowing the original design's wing-mounted driving lights and low-cut doors, with the second generation's smooth one-piece tail.” For the restoration, the car’s Swiss owner did not get distracted by originality too much as he or she chose materials and colours that fit the car very well but aren’t necessarily original. And then there are a modern ignition system and modern five-speed manual gearbox. An original and correct Horch four-speed manual transmission comes with the car, by the way.

Next is the 1937 Maybach SW38 Special Roadster. Presumably coming from the same stables, this car underwent a similar – and no doubt very costly - restoration. This time the base of it was sourced in Hungary in the shape of an SW38 with Pullman Limousine body ‘in disrepair’. The owner thought a Special Roadster body in the style of Spohn was the one to go for now. Swapping over the gearbox wasn’t necessary this time as Maybach’s own five-speeder was adequate. The car is offered with a copy of an old German ‘Fahrzeugbrief’ – a logbook. It is a stunning car that's described by Bonhams as ‘An impressive tribute to German craftsmanship and engineering from one of the greatest makes of its generation.”

Now. What do we think of this duo?

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures courtesy Bonhams Auctioneers.

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