Puch 500
Encyclopedia
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:...
in the city of Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It was manufactured under license from Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
and was based on the Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
.
The beginning
In 1954 it was decided at Steyr-Puch to resume car production after the war. Because of the high costs associated with the development of a completely new design, an agreement was made with Fiat to acquire and adapt the body in whiteBody in White
Body in white or BIW refers to the stage in automotive design or automobile manufacturing in which a car body's sheet metal components have been welded together — but before moving parts the motor, chassis sub-assemblies, or trim have been added and before painting.The name...
of their Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
-model. Of the body, only the engine cover and later the roof was produced in-house. On the other hand engine, transmission and carriage were all manufactured by Steyr-Puch. The engine, co-designed by Ferdinand Porsche, was a two-cylinder (16 hp/12 kW) flat engine
Flat engine
A flat engine is an internal combustion engine with multiple pistons that move in a horizontal plane. Typically, the layout has cylinders arranged in two banks on either side of a single crankshaft and is sometimes known as the boxer, or horizontally opposed engine. The concept was patented in 1896...
which proved to be far more smooth running than the in-line engine
Straight engine
Usually found in four- and six-cylinder configurations, the straight engine, or inline engine is an internal-combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row, with no offset...
used by Fiat. It brought for that time good driving behaviour, especially in mountain rides.
The first Steyr-Puch 500 was launched in 1957 and it was a hit. At first it was offered only with a folding roof and it was anticipated as a draw from motorcyclists as a buying audience. The 'Puchwagen' as it was called, was the official car for the Austrian AA-service.
Development
In 1959 came the first revision. The model Steyr-Puch 500 D was provided with a tin roof (D for Dach, roof in German), and in addition to that the model 500 DL was equipped with a stronger motor (20 hp/15 kW). 1961 saw the launch of two estate models, 700 C (C for Combi) and 700 E (E for Economy), both featuring a larger motor but with different power ratings. In 1962 also the sedan was equipped with the larger motor, leading to the 650 T (T for Thondorf, the location of the plant). A few years later the motor was boosted even more, resulting in the models 650 TR and 650 TR II (R for Rallye) – models at first intended for police use, but later also offered as standard.Up until now the body and outfit had remained more or less the same, but in 1967 the modified body that Fiat 500 had introduced 1965 was assumed also in Graz. The most essential new feature was the front hinged doors as opposed to the former suicide doors. As of then also the roof was adopted from Fiat. The new models became the additional label “Europa”.
In 1969, due to decreasing demand, it was decided to adopt not only the body but the whole drive unit from Fiat. The motor was the only unit to remain under own manufacture and the model was now called 500 S (Sport),
Eventually, in 1974, was the successor model from Fiat, model 126, adopted in Graz. Also here one restricted oneself essentially to fitting the Puch motor in the otherwise nearly finished car. As early as the following year production was stopped due to diminishing demand.
With a yellow 650 TR Gerard van Lennep won the Production Cars Championship (up to 700 cc.) of the Netherlands in 1966 and 1967. He competed as well in Europacup races, winning in Belgrado.
The small car sold well, with around 60,000 units produced between 1957 and 1975. Despite restrictive licensing clauses from Fiat, quite a few cars were exported outside Austria, most of them to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
| Type | Production year | cc | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1957–1959 | 493 | 16 hp (12 kW) |
| 500 D | 1959–1967 | 493 | 16 hp (12 kW) |
| 500 DL | 1959–1962 | 493 | 20 hp (15 kW) |
| 700 C (Combi) | 1961–1968 | 643 | 25 hp (18 kW) |
| 700 E (Combi) | 1961–1968 | 643 | 20 hp (15 kW) |
| 650 T | 1962–1968 | 643 | 20 hp (15 kW) |
| 650 TR | 1964–1968 | 660 | 27 hp (20 kW) |
| 650 TR II | 1965–1969 | 660 | 41 hp (30 kW) |
| 500 S | 1967–1973 | 493 | 20 hp (15 kW) |
| 126 | 1973–1975 | 643 | 25 hp (19 kW) |