Without backers,
and not being wealthy himself, Münch’s project progressed slowly, and it was not
until 1965 that construction of a prototype was nearing completion. But the
Münch-Horex was destined not to be. An old friend dropped by the workshop to
visit Münch and everything changed.
The friend was driving a brand new NSU
Prinz 1000 automobile. While looking it over, Münch realized that the
all-aluminum, light-alloy Prinz engine, shorn of its cooling fan and ducting,
could fit in the frame he was preparing to take the smaller Horex unit. Already
tested and in mass production, this engine would develop more power and cost
less than the 500cc twin. By early 1966, Münch had completed his first
NSU-powered prototype.It caused an immediate sensation. After a German
motorcycle magazine published an introductory article, enquiries flooded into
Münch’s shop. At a time when few bikes had engines larger than 500cc and even
fewer could cruise at more than 100 mph, a high-speed machine that could eat up
the miles on the autobahn in relatively lazy fashion was unique and desirable.
Encouraged by the response, Münch constructed the first production version for
display at that year’s Cologne motorcycle show.
 This is what 2.0 liters of automobile engine looks like in a motorcycle. (Click image to enlarge)
Not only did the new Münch
creation draw crowds, and orders, but it also caught the eye of one Floyd
Clymer, an eccentric publisher from California. Long before Clymer made his name
with automotive books, he had been a successful motorcycle racer, and the
two-wheel fever remained with him. He proposed a partnership in which he would
become the U.S. distributor and put some money into the operation, and Münch
accepted. There were, nonetheless, problems. Not only did Münch have his only
workshop in which to build the Mammut renamed “Münch-4” for trademark reasons,
but his passion for building an ideal machine led him to create too many unique
parts for it. Casting after casting, all complex, lightweight, expensive
Elektron alloy, and all requiring extensive finishing, made for an expensive
product. In the beginning, even the front fork and brakes were Münch
designs. Then, in 1970, Clymer fell ill and died. His stake in the Münch firm
went to George Bell, another American, who arrived in Germany with a wide-open
checkbook and some grandiose ideas. A new factory was built, and employees were
hired. Mammuts trickled out of the new factory, while Münch and Bell made plans
for a second, smaller machine to sell alongside the Mammut, and put together a
racing team. But Bell had been financing the operation with an inheritance
that was not open-ended. He soon bailed out, and a succession of new owners
tried to keep the company afloat. Münch was involved for a time, constantly
updating the basic design by improving various components, increasing engine
displacement and power and supervising construction of a few custom Mammuts. In
time, one of the new owners ended up with the rights to the Münch name, and
Friedel Münch went off on his own, repairing existing Mammuts and building a few
new ones, now called Horex Titans, in honor of the company that gave young Münch
his start, to special order. The NSU engine remained the heart of the late
Mammuts, but more and more bespoke parts were required as fuel injection,
turbocharging and even larger displacements—finally a full 2.0 liters, which
produced 260 bhp in turbo form—were added. 
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