The Horch P240 or Sachsenring P240 was a

luxury car A luxury car is a passenger automobile providing superior comfort levels, features, and equipment. More expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect a correspondingly high quality (business), build quality. The term is ...

built by the VEB Kraftfahrzeugwerk Horch Zwickau in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

between 1955 and 1959. The early preproduction models can be identified by the grill, which is divided in two and has vertical bars. Despite a provision issued by the

Comecon The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, often abbreviated as Comecon ( ) or CMEA, was an economic organization from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc#List of states, Easter ...

limiting production of luxurious cars in Czechoslovakia to no more than 300 per year, Tatra was manufacturing more units than the limit. This became an issue in 1957 and 1958, especially considering

was producing the Sachsenring P240 as its own luxurious car. The Comecon decided that the two countries must reach a deal to decide which country would continue production to supply the other with luxurious passenger vehicles. In 1958 the Ministries of Interior of both countries took part in trials, which the East German Minister of Machinery personally attended. The

Tatra 603 The Tatra 603 is a large rear-engined luxury car which was produced by the Czechoslovak company Tatra from 1956 to 1975. It was a continuation of the series of Tatra streamlined sedans which began with the Tatra 77. In Socialist Czechoslovakia, ...

won, and subsequently East Germany's higher communist officials began to drive the T603, while lower officials had to drive imports from the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(especially

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

). 1957 Horch Sachsenring P240 IMG 0308.jpg, Saloon Horch (7907437176).jpg, Estate SR-P240.jpg, Cabriolet P240 Sachsenring.JPG, Sachsenring P240 Bundeswehrmuseum Dresden 28.jpg, Sachsenring P 240 Repräsentant (1969)

References

External links

UK-based official Wartburg, Trabant and IFA owners' club

Photograph of a P240 sedan in the August Horch Museum in Zwickau
Sachsenring vehicles Cars introduced in 1955 Cars discontinued in 1959 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Luxury vehicles {{Classicpow-auto-stub