Auto-Mixte

Auto-Mixte built cars between 1906 and 1912 using a hybrid-technology under license from Pieper, after Henri Pieper died. From 1912 to 1914 the cars were made as Pescatore, named after the owner. The outbreak of World War I marked the end of the car. The workshop was eventually taken over by a motorcycle manufacturer Gillet-Herstal. Auto-Mixte made buses for the City of London as well; one electric engine driving each wheel, therefore creating one single walkway without obstructions.

 

Steyr-Daimler-Puch

Steyr-Daimler-Puch

Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.

History 

The company, initially known as Josef und Franz Werndl and Company was founded in 1864 as a rifle manufacturer. It grew rapidly during the First World War, by the end of which it employed 14,000 people. The company began producing bicycles in 1894, and Steyr automobiles after 1918. In September 1917 Steyr recruited Hans Ledwinka, now remembered as one of the great automobile engineers of the twentieth century, but then relatively unknown, to the position of "Chefkonstrukteur", to lead the creation of their automobile manufacturing business The first Steyr car, the six cylinder Type II "12/40" appeared in 1920. It was heavy and well-built, if a little cumbersome; soon, however, it spawned sports versions with an impressive list of international achievements. The small but luxurious 1.5 L six Type XII of the late twenties won international motor press acclaim.

The company changed it name to Steyr-Werke AG in 1924. In 1934, Steyr merged with Austro-Daimler-Puch to form Steyr-Daimler-Puch. The range produced in these years mainly consisted of very modern designs, sporting partially or complete unit construction bodies in streamlined livery, from the 1.000 ccm Steyr 50 to the 2.3 L 220 six.
During World War II, when Austria was part of the Third Reich, Steyr-Daimler-Puch's Generaldirektor Georg Meindl became one of the first German industrialists to suggest the use of slave labour from concentration camps to boost manpower at Steyr. The request was approved and prisoners were brought by guarded train from the Mauthausen-Gusen camp complex at Gusen 30 km distant. Later, on 5 January 1942 Meindl wrote a letter to SS Gruppenfürhrer Ernst Kaltenbrunner recommending a new 'satellite' prison camp be constructed to house prisoners nearer the Steyr factory complex, explaining how this would reduce the time and loss of prisoners in transit to and from work while also reducing security and transport overhead costs. This was approved and prisoners were used for facilities construction (bomb shelters, etc.), and to supplant manufacturing labor. This practice heretofore was not common at other larger German companies, though others followed suit including Mercedes-Benz and MAN. The vehicle range was for military use, including the Steyr RSO Raupenschlepper Ost with an air-cooled 3.5 L V8 engine designed by Ferdinand Porsche, who worked for the company at that time. War-time production there also included small arms, assault rifles, machine guns, and aircraft engines.
After the war, Steyr-Daimler-Puch built Diesel engined trucks and buses, small and heavy tractors and also resumed passenger car production. First, Steyr assembled the FIAT 1100 E, then put their own engine in a FIAT 1400, renaming the car the "Steyr 2000". From 1957 through to the early 1970s it produced the tiny Puch 500 under license from FIAT, again with an engine of Austrian design.
Most prominent, however, was its range of off-road cars, from the two-cylinder Haflinger and the 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 Pinzgauer, the Fiat Panda 4x4 (999cc) to the Mercedes-Puch G. SDP was the initial designer and manufacturer of these utility vehicles. The Haflinger was produced from 1959–1974, the Pinzgauer from 1971–2000, and the Puch G (also known as Mercedes G-Class) from 1979.
The company produced a line of motorcycles and motor scooters marketed in the United States through Sears Roebuck including the SR 125 motorcycle which was delivered in a cardboard crate box to the customer's home. The Austro-Daimler branch built heavy tractors and trucks for the imperial Austrian army (before 1915). The main Steyr civil agricultural tractor production started in 1947.
After the war Steyr-Daimler-Puch resumed manufacturing bicycles and mopeds, gradually establishing distributors in several countries to manage their sales. Steyr also made bicycles for sale for other retailers, most notably Sears. In the mid 1970s "Steyr-Daimler-Puch America" was incorporated in Connecticut to manage importation and distribution of bicycles and mopeds. Puch Austro-Daimler bicycles remained in production at Graz in Austria until the motorcycle and bicycle fabrication portions of the company there were sold in the mid 1987 to Piaggio & C. S.p.A. of Italy.
Because of their extreme durability and toughness Steyr products won many enthusiastic friends around the world.

 

Pre 1919

Pre 1919

Johann Puch first produced bicycles in 1889 in a small workshop called "Fahrradfabrikation Strauchergasse 18 a" in Graz. Ten years later he founded his company, "Erste Steiermärkische Fahrradfabrik AG" (en: "First Styrian Bicycle Factory AG"). Puch's company became successful through innovation and quality handicraft, rapidly expanding over time. It soon began producing motorcycles and mopeds.
The main production plant, later called "Einser-Werk", was constructed in the south of Graz, in the district of Puntigam. Production of engines was started in 1901 and cars followed in 1904. In 1906 the production of the two-cylinder Puch Voiturette began and in 1909 a Puch car broke the world high-speed record with 130,4 km/h. In 1910, Puch is known to have produced sedans for members of the imperial family. In 1912, the 38 PS (horsepower) Type VIII "Alpenwagen" was developed.
In 1912 Johann Puch went into retirement and became the company's honorary president. In that year the company employed about 1,100 workers and produced 16,000 bicycles and over 300 motorcycles and cars annually. During World War I, Puch became an important vehicle supplier to the Austro-Hungarian Army. However with the collapse of the empire following the War, the market for automobiles shrank and production was discontinued.

 

 

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Möve

Möve 

The Möve 101 was a microcar with egg-shaped coupé bodywork based on a Felber Autoroller chassis. Ten cars were built in Vienna by a specialist coachbuilding company Hofmann & Moldrich in 1953. Though the fully enclosed bodywork made from 0.8 mm aluminium plate was more sophisticated than that of the Felber, the car proved more expensive to produce and the heavier bodywork reduced performance and made the car less stable. Möve translates into English as Gull.The only known survivor is in the Automobilmuseum Aspang/Wechsel in Austria.

 

Magna Steyr

 Magna Steyr

Magna Steyr AG & Co KG is an automobile manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, where also its primary manufacturing plant is located. It is a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International and was previously part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate.
Magna Steyr engineers, develops and assembles automobiles for other companies on a contractual basis; therefore, Magna Steyr is not an automobile marque. In 2002, it absorbed Daimler AG's Eurostar vehicle assembly facility. The company's vehicle assembly capacity reached 200,000 vehicles a year. It is the largest contract manufacturer for automobiles worldwide, and has several manufacturing sites, with its main car production in Graz in Austria.
Magna Steyr developed Mercedes-Benz's "4Matic" four-wheel drive (4wd) system, and assembles all E-Class 4Matic models. The company also undertook substantial development on the BMW X3 and manufactures all first generation X3s, the Aston Martin Rapide and developed several cars on behalf of manufacturers such as the Audi TT, Fiat Bravo and Peugeot RCZ.

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Lohner-Porsche

Lohner-Porsche

The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (sometimes wrongly referred to as Löhner-Porsche) was the first hybrid vehicle developed by Ferdinand Porsche. First prototypes were 2-wheel drive battery-powered electric vehicles with two front wheel hub-mounted motors. A later version was a series hybrid using hub-mounted electric motors in each wheel, powered by batteries and gasoline-engine generator.

Development

At the age of 18, Ferdinand Porsche boarded a train in North Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic), and headed for Vienna to embark on his first job. Despite having no formal engineering education, Jacob Lohner, at his Lohner-Werke employed Porsche to develop an electric powertrain for his coaches. Porsche's prototype car boasted a low-friction drivetrain, due to the hub-mounted electric motors directly driving the wheels. Each internal-pole electric motor was capable of 2.5 hp (1.9 kW) to 3.5 hp (2.6 kW) peaking to 7 hp (5.2 kW) for short bursts.
The 1898 "System Lohner-Porsche" created a press whirlwind across Europe. Lohner received his first order from E.W. Hart, himself a coachbuilder of Luton, Britain. Hart asked for significant modifications. His vehicle was to be capable of running on petrol as well as electricity, of carrying four passengers, and employ four-wheel drive. The custom coach was a monster dubbed 'La Toujours Contente'('always Satisfied' in French), a jab at record-holder Camille Jenatzy's electric 'La Jamais Contente', and was exhibited at the December 1900 Paris Exhibition. The enormous Lohner required 1.8 tonnes of batteries consisting of a forty-four cell 80 volt lead-acid battery, all housed in a spring-suspended battery container to protect the fragile cells. The 4 electric motors weighed a total of 1280 pounds, contributing to a total vehicle weight of over 4 tonnes on its Continental pneumatic tires. With a battery capacity of approximately 270 amp-hours and 4 forward speeds, the 56-horsepower coach ran in several expositions and competitions. It cost 15,000 Austrian Crowns.
Despite such ambitious engineering, the car was completed on time and was delivered personally by Porsche. Hart was so impressed that he purchased another, two-wheel drive example at a relative bargain of 7950 Austrian crowns.
In November 6–9, 1900, the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland sponsored an electric vehicle endurance trial, of which the 4-wheel drive Lohner-Porsche was one of eleven entrants—one of three entrants Hart brought to the Chislehurst starting line. The first-place winner of the trial was a Louis-Kreiger car dubbed the 'Powerful'. Thanks to largely to its lighter weight and larger diameter wheels, it achieved a first run of 59 miles at an average of about 10 miles per hour. 'Le Toujours Contente' suffered tire failures on its 34 miles with Porsche at the wheel. One competitor stated, "there were inches of mud on the floors; rain came through the roof; the sheds were doorless and the cars and attendants were nightly exposed to the full force of wind and rain." Other electric vehicle entrants managed only 7 miles distance through the muddy rutted course. Ferdinand Porsche caught a severe cold, contributing to the vehicle's elimination from further competition.
Too costly for popular consumption, Lohner leveraged the revolutionary drivetrain technology for larger commercial vehicles. Lohner-Werke manufactured rear-drive double-decker buses for Berlin and front-drive fire engines for the cities of Vienna, Frankfurt, and London. Lohner was commissioned to build vehicles for the Austrian emperor as well as the kings of Norway, Romania, and Sweden. According to a biography by Andreas Stieniczka, the funeral coach for Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose murder in Sarajevo was the event which sparked off World War I, was manufactured by Lohner-Werke. Over 300 Lohner-Porsche vehicles were sold through 1906.
In addition to custom coachworks, Lohner supported Porsche' continued racing efforts. Several Austrian land speed records were set, with a top speed eventually achieving 37 mph (60 km/h) with Porsche at the wheel. It was victorious in a number of motorsport events including the Exelbert Rally in 1901. With both drivetrain engineering excellence in Lohner's custom coaches and motorsport experience, Porsche won the 1905 Potting Prize as Austria's most outstanding automotive engineer. In 1906, Porsche was snapped up by Daimler-Benz as chief designer. Jacob Lohner said at the time: 'He is very young, but is a man with a big career before him. You will hear of him again.'
The Lohner-Porsche's design was studied by Boeing and NASA to create the Apollo program’s Lunar Rover. Many of its design principles were mirrored in the Rover’s design. The series hybrid concept underpins many modern railway locomotives, and interest in series hybrid automobiles is growing rapidly

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Libelle (microcar)

Libelle (microcar)

The Libelle was an Austrian three-wheeled microcar built in Innsbruck by Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft between 1952 and 1954. One cylinder two-stroke Rotax engine with 199 cm³ and 8,5 HP and 4 gears.
About 50 are believed to have been built; the only known "survivor" is in the exposition of the RRR scooter museum in Eggenburg, Austria.

 

 

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KTM

KTM

KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, which was formed in 1992 but traces its foundation as early as in 1934. In 1992 the company was spun-off from its parent company KTM when it ran into financial troubles. KTM was split into four companies, all of which shared the same KTM branding, and in present have many more subsidiaries with the same branding. However, KTM-Sportmotorcycle is most commonly associated with the iconic KTM branding, because of the fact that it still continues the flagship business of its parent company.

History

In 1953, businessman Ernst Kronreif became a sizable shareholder of the company which was then renamed and registered as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. KTM started serial production of R100 in 1954. With just 20 employees, motorcycles were built at the rate of three per day.
The company’s first title was secured shortly thereafter with the 1954 Austrian 125 national championship. KTM first made an appearance at the International Six Days Enduro in 1956 where Egon Dornauer secured a gold medal. Racing continued to be a testing ground for production technology, but next in line was its first scooter, the Mirabell. It started providing a factory team for the ISDE in ’64. As the company continued to expand, the workforce totaled 400 in 1971, and forty years after it was founded, KTM was offering 42 different models
In 1955 Tourist 125cc model was developed. In 1957 KTM built the first sports motorcycle Trophy 125cc. KTM's first moped, called Mecky was launched in 1957, followed by Ponny I in 1960 and Ponny II in 1962. The 60's decade saw the beginning of the bicycle production. Beside, KTM was also able to produced motorcycles for the racing industry.

KTM

KTM

KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, which was formed in 1992 but traces its foundation as early as in 1934. In 1992 the company was spun-off from its parent company KTM when it ran into financial troubles. KTM was split into four companies, all of which shared the same KTM branding, and in present have many more subsidiaries with the same branding. However, KTM-Sportmotorcycle is most commonly associated with the iconic KTM branding, because of the fact that it still continues the flagship business of its parent company.
KTM is known for its off road motorcycles though in recent years it has expanded into street motorcycle production and also developing a sports car.

History

In 1934 an Austrian engineer Johann (Hans) Trunkenpolz .setup a metalworking and locksmith shop in Mattighofen. In 1937 he started selling DKW motorcycles and Opel cars the following year. His shop was known as Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen but the name was unregistered. During the Second World War his wife took care of the business which grew mainly of diesel engine repairs.
After the war, demand for repair works fell sharply and Trunkenpolz started thinking about producing his own motorcycles. The prototype of first motorcycle R100 was produced in 1951. All of the components of the motorcycle were produced in house, except for the Rotax engines which were made by Fichtel & Sachs.

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Felber Autoroller

The Felber Autoroller T 400 was a three-wheeled microcar with a rear-mounted 398 cc Rotax two cylinder opposed twin, two stroke 15 metric horsepower (11 kW) engine. The cars had an unusual seating arrangement, with a small child-sized seat behind the driver on the left and a conventional passenger seat diagonally behind and to the right.
A. Felber & Co were a well known manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars, based in Vienna, Austria. The Autoroller was designed by Ernst Marold.From 1952 to 1953, about 400 units were built in two versions, all of which were painted light green using a standard paint then used for machinery which was cheaper than car paint. Early models had cycle-type mudguards that swivelled with the front wheels, later models had fixed wings.
The owners had a very active club; The Austrian Autoroller Club, whose newsletter can be found in the Austrian National Library. In 1954, at the wedding of Mr. Marold, a remarkable corso of Felbers accompanied the wedding limousine in front of the Karlskirche in the Viennese City centre^.
After the liberalisation of car imports into Austria in 1954, car manufacture proved uncompetitive and the company began the manufacture of industrial washing machines instead. The company also moved into the sale and distribution of cars from Heinkel, Trojan, Spatz and Reliant.
About twelve rolling chassis were delivered to specialist coachbuilding company Hofmann & Moldrich in Vienna who built upon them an egg shaped body out of 0.8mm aluminium plate called Möve 101. The only known remaining car is in the car museum in Aspang in Lower-Austria.
Two surviving Felbers are to be seen in the RRR scooter and microcar museum in Eggenburg, Austria. A third one is under restoration in Serbia near to the Hungarian border and one in Bavaria.

 

 

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