Steyr 220
Steyr 220 Steyr 220
The bright sun, luxurious flowerbeds, elegant empire facades - all this in the best way in harmony with my convertible. In such colors, he is especially attractive and friendly, full face - also a little surprised. This "Steyr-220" is in no way associated with the place and time of birth. After all, he was born in 1939, in Austria, which has already become part of the Third Reich …
This state for most of us is a quiet, clean, green country with picturesque lawns and carefully guarded architecture. If you type in the search engine the adjective “Viennese”, first of all you will get “waltz” and “ball”. Someone else will recall the schnitzel, and some will recall the opera. Only a few Austria is associated with the automotive industry. But between the two world wars cars of various classes were built there. Including Stayra.
Weapons in Steyr, a town at the confluence of the river of the same name and Ens (about 160 km from Vienna), have been made since the 19th century. And after the First World War, with a drop in demand, they decided to tackle cars. It was not anyone who stood at the origins, but one of the most famous designers in Europe - Hans Ledwinka.
By the mid-1930s, the strongest Austrian automakers merged into the powerful Steyr-Daimler-Pooh concern. The Steyr plant was producing by that time a gamut of quite advanced machines, among which was the model 220, which was medium in size and price, which debuted in 1937 on the roads of still independent Austria.
LET'S BE FRIENDS
The character of the convertible is quite consistent with the appearance - comfortable and flexible to drive. Like all European cars of that time, the interior is not wide in width, but it’s convenient to sit behind the wheel. Yes, and you can live behind. But in the dude cabriolet, the main places are still front ones.
The seats in the car are non-native, since the newlyweds often carry it. The original owner stores in the garage. But the surprisingly beautiful steering wheel is authentic
The seats in the car are non-native, since the newlyweds often carry it. The original owner stores in the garage. But the surprisingly beautiful steering wheel is authentic. The seats in the car are non-native, since the newlyweds often carry it. The original owner stores in the garage. But the surprisingly beautiful steering wheel is authentic.
The steering wheel of the "Steyr" is unexpectedly light (of course, adjusted for the norms of that time). The brakes are hydraulic, but weak by today's standards. Overhead valve engine, electric wiper, 12-volt electrical equipment - quite modern at the time of production of the car. Such a convertible was surprisingly inexpensive: in Germany - 6900 Reichsmarks. Close in characteristics (2.3 liters, 55 hp) and the size of the Mercedes-Benz 230 cost 7500 marks.
The smoothness of the "Steyr" is excellent. On a highway at a speed of 80 km / h, a car with independent suspensions (rear axles and springs that are popular with German and Austrian engineers) floats like a yacht on a calm sea. This quality is today, and even in the 30s and even more so, most owners are more important than sharp reactions to taxiing. The Steyr all the time seems to be somehow especially obedient and friendly. He would be born at another time … Or at least in another place.
ARROW AND CROSS
The city of Steyr, in addition to weapons, cars and motors, is known for the fact that the composers Franz Schubert and Anton Bruckner once lived in it, and Adolf Hitler also studied for some time. It was here that clashes between the Social Democrats and Christian Socialists took place, which to a large extent led to the Anschluss of Austria in 1938. And in the year of the birth of this convertible, in 1939, the Soviet and German empires had already concluded a friendship treaty. The USSR sent troops into Poland in order to "restore … order and peace, disrupted by the collapse of the Polish state." It was as if it itself had disintegrated, and did not disappear under the onslaught of tanks with crosses that crossed its western border.
The emblem with a bow and arrow is a symbol of the weapons history of the company
The emblem with a bow and arrow is a symbol of the weapons history of the company. The emblem with a bow and arrow is a symbol of the weapons history of the company.
Austria already lived according to other laws. Jews, having paid the Nazis levy, fled the country of music, Viennese sweets and cool cars. The rest were waiting for the concentration camp …
But the plant in Steyr still made cars with an elegant emblem reminiscent of the arms of the company. In the second half of the 1930s, demand in Europe for these products began to grow again. The last 750 machines of model 220 were made already in 1941. The rest of the passenger Stayrs had already been discontinued by that time, and other Reich car factories had ceased to produce civilian cars, concentrating on military products.
In May 1945, Soviet and American units met in Steyr. Before that, the city was heavily bombed, because it was one of the industrial centers of the Reich. Then a new story began at the plant. He made cars under the license of Fiat, army cars, and later (to this day) the famous Gelendavagen. We are also familiar with the Austrian name by the original diesel engines that have not taken root on GAZ models.
Many pre-war “Stayrs”, along with tens of thousands of other cars, drove trophies to the USSR. In the once popular TV series Variant Omega, which took place in Tallinn, two similar convertibles were shot, and Abwehr officers rode them. But to this day, the “Stayrs” have come down quite a bit.
Steyr 220
Steyr 220 Steyr 220
Cars, like people, evoke different feelings when they get to know each other. Say, huge prewar limousines - reverence and even awe. As if in front of you, even a retired, but a dictator. It is interesting to communicate with "young hangers" - elegant, shocking convertibles and roadsters. Compact folk cars resemble a little tortured, but not losing optimism, father of the family. For some reason, this cabriolet immediately seemed like a friend - smiling, but not intrusive, preserving a sense of tact and dignity.
It is good that this "Steyr" was spared the cataclysms of the twentieth century, that he fell into the skillful hands of someone who knows a lot about such things. And the fact that I managed to get to know him is also great. I am very pleased, and he seems not to be offended.
Native of Upper Austria
“Steyr-220” in 1937 replaced model 120 in the production program. The engine capacity of 2.3 liters was increased by 5 forces - up to 55 hp. The box is four-speed, with synchronizers in higher gears. The model was produced with bodies with a four-door sedan, a two- or four-seater convertible. Custom-built convertibles were also built by the Dresden atelier Glezer. Production ceased in 1941. A total of 5900 Stayrs-220 were assembled, most of all in 1939 - 1822 copies.
