Austrian Steyr TYPE 50 (1936-1940).
Lomakov Museum of Oldtimer Cars and Motorcycles, Moscow
The Steyr 50 is a small car released in 1936 by the Austrian automobile manufacturer Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG.
Design
The streamlined body was approved by Director Karl Jenschke to be constructed in 1935, however, in November of that same year Jenschke was employed as chief designer by the German Adler manufacturer in Frankfurt/Main. It was officially presented to the public at the 1936 Berlin Motor Show.
The car had a water-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine with thermosiphon cooling, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed transmission. To save room and weight, a dynastarter was used, which doubled as the axle of the radiator fan. It was regarded as the “Austrian Volkswagen” and was affectionately referred to as Steyr “Baby”.
The Volkswagen constructor Ferdinand Porsche had, despite rumors, not been involved in the design or production of the 50, nor was Hans Ledwinka, who had designed the Tatra V570. The little Steyr offered better seating and luggage space than Porsche’s Volkswagen with shorter overall length, a large sheet metal sliding roof, and hydraulic brakes (instead of the early Volkswagens’ cable-operated ones).
