The automotive world of the early 1950s shows a promising scenario where car manufacturers pushed for the mass motorisation process in many Eurpoean countries. However, this “gold rush” did not always bring the desired results.
On the other side, there are some little cars that remain more aloof, unknown to most, that manage to mark the fate of countries notoriously not associated with the car manufacturers world. One of them is an “Austrian” (at least in part) little car: the Steyr Puch 500.
Big names and an inevitable merge: Steyr, Puch and austro daimler
Born in Austria, probably not the first country you might think for the birth of a car maker, the Puch brand sees its genesis in 1899. Initially the production is dedicated to bicycles as desired by the founder, Johann Puch.
In 1906, Puch embraced what would turn out to be the definitive brand's core business: the production of motor vehicles, mopeds and emergency vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances. Production takes place in four different factories, located in Graz, Vienna, Budapest and Prague.
Auto Daimler, on the other hand, was founded in 1902, and is immediately involved in the motor vehicles production. As early as 1905, the brand presented a four-wheel drive car, showing off its remarkable engineering skills. In 1906 Paul Daimler, son of the famed Gottlieb Daimler, leaves the firm guide to a young engineer of high hopes: Ferdinand Porsche. At the same time the brand change its name to Austro Daimler. Under this denomination it will merge with Puch in 1928.
The origins of the Steyr brand, go back many decades earlier. In fact, the company begin its activity as a weapons maker as early as 1864, becoming the sole supplier of the Austro-Hungarian army. After the end of the First World War, the company begin the conversion of the factories to start the production of cars (1920). In 1924 the company become Steyr Werke AG and under the technical guidance of Hans Ledwinka, Ferdinand Porsche (yes, him again) and Karl Jescke, the brand gets recognized thanks to a series of important race victories.
In 1934, Austro-Daimler-Puchwerke and Steyr Werke AG join togheter giving birth to the Steyr Puch.
The newborn Austrian brand continues the production of 4 and 6 cylinder cars until the beginning of the Second World War. After the end of the conflict, the company has to start from scratch: and it was precisely in this context that the agreement with Fiat give the birth to the “made in Austria” 500.
Mass motorization in Austrian sauce
The post-war target for Steyr Puch is clear: restart production creating an affordable vehicle to encourage mass mobility. This must take place with a lowcost product suitable for the Austrian market, thus leading the group's sales. The main problem is that Steyr Puch has no funds and no know-how to restart the production of a range of cars on its own.
It becomes essential to find a tested platform to develop the new products. Define an agreement with Fiat assumes fundamental importance for the fate of the brand.
Steyr Daimler Puch becomes Austrian market importer for the Turin's brand. Production starts with iconic cars from the Fiat range, beginning with the Fiat 1400. It was not a simple on site assembly as the cars are often revised with different engines
To further expand its range and increase sales, Steyr Puch agree with the Piedmontese brand to obtain the license to produce, on Austrian soil, the Italian new phenomenal tiny jewel: the Fiat 500.
Steyr Puch 500: never seen in Italy
After the agreement, signed in 1954, Steyr Puch starts the production of the 500 in 1957. Fiat supplies the chassis, body and interior while the rest is up to the Austrin company. The newborn version is therefore equipped with a locally produced boxer twin, coupled with a ZF gearbox.
Based on the contract signed between the two companies, the Steyr Puch version cannot be marketed where the Fiat 500 is already on sale. It is therefore obvious that the diffusion of the new model is limited to a few countries, as the small Turin car is somehow a world car, sold in many countries.
The “Pucherl”: from Dante Giacosa's dream to the Steyr Puch 700 Combi
Aesthetically, there are few but substantial differences between the two cars, sometimes justified by precise technical choices and others by the pure desire to differentiate the Austrian 500 from the original.
The friezes are model specific and the rear bonnet has new air intakes, clearly larger and even more linear in design. Also noteworthy are the rims, with larger channels and hubs, as well as the more rounded bumpers compared to the originals. A particular quirk resides in the speedometer, oriented in the opposite direction to the Italian original.
The juicier changes are hidden from view as the Fiat engine is replaced by a small 493cc aluminum boxer, capable of developing 16hp at 4600 rpm, coupled with a ZF gearbox. Less visible but still important are the changes to the braking system and shock absorbers, increased and calibrated for the car's superior performances.
In fact, the Austrian 500 can reach 100 km/h, unlike the small Fiat which stops at just 85km/h.
It's worth noting that, involuntarily, Steyr Puch realizes what was the original project that the father of the 500, Dante Giacosa, would have loved to achieve.
Giacosa, as stated in his book “I miei 40 anni di progettazione in Fiat” (“My 40 years of design at Fiat”), would have chosen a boxer engine on the Fiat 500, recognizing it as the best technical solution for the small Turin's car. The decision to focus on the simpler 479cc in-line twin was taken to reduce the project costs.
The success of the little Steyr Puch was not long in coming and the nice little car become a regular presence on the Austrian roads, also adopted by the local automobile club or by the postal service. The Steyr Puch 500 was thus renamed “Pucherl” or “Puchwagen”, becoming an essential part of the Austrian landscape.
Over the years, the evolution of the small Puch follows the corresponding Italian model even maintaining the known substantial technical differences. From 1959 the closed roof version become available, characterized by a small rear spoiler. After the Fiat 500D version presentation, some important accessories become available, such as a windscreen washer system, reclining seats, and last but not least, a fully synchronized gearbox.
Later on, two new versions come to life. The DL, with a boosted 20 HP engine (capable of reaching 105km/h) and the corresponding version of the Italian “Giardiniera”. The tiny station wagon is named 700C (Combi) and is pushed by a 643cc engine with 25 HP. Later it become available in the “E” variant, less pricey and powered by a detuned 20 HP engine.
The Combi can be ordered in a four-seater set-up or in a two-seater commercial version, with a wide sunroof or with a classic sheet metal roof.
In 1962, the DL was joined by the 500C, a cheaper variant with a detuned engine.
Performance rush: the Steyr-Puch 650 T and TR
In 1962, the Combi engine is placed even in the sedan, giving life to the 500DH, a version intended exclusively for the Austrian military and police forces. Someone evidently realizes the commercial potential of this version. This lead to the birth of the steyr puch 650 t where the “T” derives from Thondorf, the Graz area where the “Pucherl” factory is located.
Powered by the 660cc engine (22,88 HP at 5000 rpm) the 650 T reaches 120 km/h.
The race for performance in the small cars market doesn't stop. Taking inspiration from what is happening in Italy (thanks to Carlo Abarth), in 1964, a more powerful version is bought to the market: the Steyr Puch 650 TR. This comes with a further evolution of the Steyr Puch twin-cylinder boxer engine, capable of developing the power of 27hp and going up to 123km/h, thanks to the use of a double-barrel Zenith carburettor. All of this is obviously matched with a stiffen structure and the adoption of new drive shafts and braking system, required due to the powers involved.
Next, at the end of 1964, Steyr Puch shows the 650 TR2, with the 34 HP engine that pushes the tiny Austrian at over 130 km/h.
Thanks to these performances, the small Austrian car is a huge success in racing, with some tuners that manage to “squeeze” almost 50hp from the engine, making it almost unbeatable.
This competitiveness led the Polish driver Sobieslaw Zasada to win the European Rally Championship in 1966, thanks to the robustness of the car and its great agility.
The “F” and the slow decline
In 1967, two years late compared to Fiat counterpart, the Puch 500 aligned itself with Italian production introducing the F version. The bodywork changes with the adoption of the front-hinged doors, while the roof loses the peculiar small spoiler.
In those years the Steyr Puch 500 range grows with a new access version, the 500 S, equipped with a 493 engine with 16 or 19.8 hp. All the other versions are confirmed, while later the TR versions and the brand new TR2 “Europa” introduce a new instrument panel including rev counter, oil pressure gauge and temperature indicators.
This late evolutions mark the model's end, as the car is now suffering the age of the project. In 1968 the little Puch sees a sharp decline in sales numbers.
Only the versions equipped with the smaller engine remain available and they will remain in production until 1973, the year of the conversion of the plants to produce the new Fiat 126 in the Puch version, obviously with a boxer engine.
Here ends the story of this little car, a “unlike twin” of the classic Fiat 500, capable of selling around 60,000 units over its 16 years of production.
What remains of a great story: Steyr Puch after the “500”
After the end of the 500 production, the Steyr Puch brand continues to produce unique vehicles, giving life to the timeless Mercedes G-Wagen in 1979 and developing the four-wheel drive system that equips the Fiat Panda 4×4.
In 1990 the group is split up into various parts with the sale of the motorcycle branch to the Piaggio group, the agricultural machinery branch to CNH and then to FCA.
The legacy of past glories therefore falls on Magna Steyr, born after the acquisition by the Canadian group Magna. Compared to the past there are no more specific models as the brand get specialized in the construction of cars and components for third parties. The group establish fruitful collaborations with Daimler Benz, BMW, Toyota and Jaguar.
English translation by Federico "Ciclootto" Rocchini Thanks Roberto Giacinti for the kind collaboration