Steyr was an Austrian automotive brand, established in 1915 as a branch of the Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (ÖWG) weapon manufacturing company. Renamed Steyr-Werke AG in 1926 and merged with Austro-Daimler and Puch into Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, it continued manufacturing Steyr automobiles until 1959.
History
The ÖWG stock company was founded in 1864 at Steyr in Upper Austria; in 1894 it had already issued a licence from the British Swift Company to manufacture bicycles under the trade-mark name Waffenrad. In order to further to diversify manufacturing, the members of the executive board resolved upon fabricating Steyr automobiles and tractors. They hired 38-year-old designer Hans Ledwinka after he resigned from Nesselsdorfer-Wagenbau.[1] Ledwinka developed Steyr's new six-cylinder car and supervised hiring engineers and mechanics.
This, the 12/40PS, featured the fashionable Spitzkühler (pointed radiator) of the prewar Mercedes and had very modern features: a 3255 cc (199ci) engine with SOHC,[2] ball bearing-mounted crankshaft,[3] four-speed gearbox, and multi-plate clutch, but not including four-wheel brakes, though Ledwinka's designs had used them as early as 1909.[2] The ability of the engine to rev led to 4014 cc (245ci) Type VI and 4890 cc (298ci) Type VI Klausen sport versions, and it was employed in a 2½ ton truck.[3]
Ledwinka again came into conflict with management when the company wanted luxury cars and he preferred a cheap, simple car, the sidevalve four-cylinder Type IV. Steyr concentrated on luxury cars.[3] Ledwinka did not give up, creating a car with an air-cooled flat-twin and backbone chassis. Management ignored him, and he quit to join Tatra, taking the design with him;[3] it also inspired the early Volkswagen Type 1.
Steyr realized their mistake too late, but Ledwinka acted as consulting engineer, influencing the 1925 Type XII, with a 14/35 hp 1.5-liter OHC six, crankshaft ball bearings,[3] four-wheel brakes, half-elliptic front springs, and swing axle IRS.[3] It came in two models, a four- or five-seater tourer at £440 and a four-door saloon at £560.[4] This was joined by a 3.3-liter Type VII interior drive limousine, a luxurious four-door that seated up to seven and cost £1000; it shared its 17.75 kW (23.8 hp) chassis with the five- to seven-place, £975 Coupe de Ville.[4]
Steyr-Werke
The 1926 Olympia Motor Show premiered a new 10 kW (14 hp) tourer for £510. There was also another new small car in 1928, the 2060 cc (126ci) 16/40 hp Type XX and a 4-liter 29/70 hp six Type XVI, with vacuum servo-assisted brakes by Bosch-Dewandre.[4]
In January 1929, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche joined Steyr from Mercedes. He quickly produced the 37/100 hp Austria, with a 5.3-liter straight eight, dual magneto ignition, and twin spark plugs, four-wheel Lockheed hydraulic servo-operated brakes, and Steyr's first detachable cylinder head. It also had Steyr's half-elliptic front suspension, independent rear suspension through transverse sprung swing axles and wire spoke wheels with quickly detachable racing type hubs.[5] It was shown at the Paris Salon and Olympia, the cabriolet offered at £1550.[4]
See also
- Steyr Mannlicher
- Steyr Motors
- Steyr Type XXX
Sources
- Wise, David Burgess. "Steyr-Puch: The Legacy of the Ledwinkas", in Ward, Ian, executive editor. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 19, p. 2193-6.
- Rauscher, Karl-Heinz und Knogler, Franz: Das Steyr-Baby und seine Verwandten, Weishaupt Verlag, A-8342 Gnas, 1. Auflage (2002), ISBN 3-7059-0102-8 ISBN 978-3705901025