Ingolstadt, Germany - The last one-off specimen of a 1953 Horch is currently being restored at the Audi museum in Ingolstadt after its discovery in Texas earlier this year.

The car was exhibited in unrestored condition at the Audi museum in July and August this year with its velvet seats slashed open, battered door trims and rusty exterior.

Built by hand for the last man at the helm of Auto Union, Dr Richard Bruhn, the chauffeur-driven limousine was based on a 1938 Horch 830 BL.

Later, a US soldier stationed in Germany bought the car and brought it home with him to the United States. Eventually the gearbox packed in and he parted company with the car. Al Wilson, a car enthusiast from San Angelo, Texas, saved the Horch from the crushers. Although he knew nothing about the Horch brand, he sensed that the vehicle was something special. And so the former manager of a shoe factory paid 500 dollars for it, parking it on his property along with other finds.

Wilson contacted Ingolstadt, the German Museum in Munich and a Dresden-based expert. Nobody knew anything about the car. His sons later resumed the research. Finally Ralf Hornung, who is responsible for buying and restoring vehicles at Audi Tradition, recognized the car.

"The photos clearly showed Bruhn's car, the whereabouts of which had been a mystery for decades," Hornung said, flying straight to Texas. Al Wilson agreed to sell it. "The Horch should go home."

The car brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged under the Auto Union label in 1932. In 1985, the Audi AG was established bringing together the traditional companies Auto Union GmbH and NSU GmbH. (dpa)