A 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser was voted Best of Show at the 2026 Concours of Elegance Germany, held July 4–5 at Gut Kaltenbrunn overlooking Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria.
Unlike many concours awards decided by a panel of judges, the event’s highest honor is selected by the owners of the participating cars themselves. This year’s winner was chassis 855007, widely regarded as the only surviving original production example of the Horch 855 Special Roadster. Thought to be one of only five to seven examples built before the outbreak of World War II, the car represents the pinnacle of Horch’s pre-war luxury car design and engineering.
A SURVIVOR WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY
The winning Horch has lived a remarkable life spanning nearly nine decades. Originally delivered new in the Netherlands in 1939, it returned to Germany shortly after World War II before eventually making its way to the United States, where it became part of several prominent collections.
Its profile continued to grow throughout the post-war collector car movement. The car appeared in Road & Track magazine in 1954 and even featured on screen, driven by actor Rock Hudson in The World Is Ours.
Following an extensive restoration completed in Germany in 1992, the Horch entered Audi’s care, spending many years on display at the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt. For enthusiasts of the Auto Union heritage, it became one of the museum’s most recognizable pre-war exhibits before being sold through RM Sotheby’s in 2024 into its current private collection.
THE PINNACLE OF PRE-WAR HORCH DESIGN
The Horch 855 Special Roadster is considered one of the finest expressions of late-1930s German coachbuilding. Built by Gläser of Dresden, its sweeping pontoon-style front fenders, dramatically long bonnet, low roofline and elegant proportions exemplify the streamlined styling that defined Europe’s luxury automobiles immediately before the war.
As Horch served as Auto Union’s flagship luxury marque alongside Audi, DKW and Wanderer, the 855 represented the company’s highest level of craftsmanship, engineering and exclusivity. Today, the survival of chassis 855007 makes it one of the most historically significant Horch automobiles in existence.
CONCOURS RETURNS TO LAKE TEGERNSEE
The second Concours of Elegance Germany again transformed Gut Kaltenbrunn into one of Europe’s premier concours venues, with privately owned automobiles spanning nearly a century displayed above the shores of Lake Tegernsee.
While the Horch claimed Best of Show, other notable honors included the Chairman’s Award for a 1933 Armstrong Siddeley Special Six and the Patron’s Award, selected by Prince Leopold Prinz von Bayern, for the 1955 Maserati 150S/200S Prototype.
The 2026 event also celebrated the centenary of Maserati’s Trident emblem, with numerous historic Maseratis receiving class honors throughout the weekend. Even amid that milestone celebration, it was the elegant Horch—once displayed by Audi itself—that emerged as the owners’ choice for the event’s highest recognition, further cementing its place among the most celebrated surviving automobiles of the Auto Union era.