1938 Steyr 220

The history of the Austrian-based Steyr company dated to the 1860s when the OWG stock company was founded in 1864. In 1894, the company was issued a license from the British Swift Company to produce bicycles under the Waffenrad name. They diversified into weapon manufacturing in 1915 and eventually employed approximately 14,000 individuals. By the close of World War I, the company had produced over 3 million rifles and nearly 235,000 pistols, along with 40,524 machine guns. Following the war, the company diversified into the automobile and tractor production business. A designer named Hans Ledwinka, hired after resigning from Nesselsdorfer-Wagenbau, was instrumental in the development of the company's new six-cylinder car. Later Steyr automobiles were built under the leadership of Ferdinand Porsche, who joined the company in 1929 after working for Mercedes. Dr. Porsche oversaw many technical advancements to the Steyr product, including the adaptation of four-wheel Lockheed hydraulic servo-operated brakes and the company's first detachable cylinder head.

In 1934, the company merged with Austro-Daimler-Puch. Between 1920 and 1940, the company produced 34,776 vehicles, with the final pre-war Steyr model being the 220.

The Steyr 220
The Steyr 220 was powered by an inline, 2.3-liter, overhead-valve, six-cylinder engine that delivered 55 horsepower and was paired with a four-speed transmission. It used a double transverse-leaf independent suspension setup in the front, streamlined coachwork, fender-mounted headlights, and a raked grille and windshield.

Production of the Steyr 220 continued until 1941, with a total of 5,900 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2022