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Steyr-Puch 500

Also known as Puch 500, “Pucherl”, Steyr-Puch 500 Modell Fiat

From the outside it is a Fiat Nuova 500, apart from the badges and the engine lid. Lift the engine lid and there is an Austrian flat twin, smoother and stronger on a mountain road, and in 1966 one of these little cars made its driver European rally champion among touring cars.

Pale blue small saloon with chrome trim and cream wheels on block paving in sun, garage doors behind.
A pale blue Steyr-Puch 500 D with rear-hinged doors and cream wheels, in a courtyard in 2005.Photo: Ghostwriter9151, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Steyr-Puch 500

500 and 500 D · Graz

Built
1957–⁠1975Presented in September 1957; one last car in 1976
Country
AustriaThe Puch works at Thondorf, Graz
Maker
Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Puch works, GrazThe body shells bought from Fiat
Engine
493 cc Puch flat twin, air-cooled643 cc in the 650 T and the estates, 660 cc in the 650 TR
Power
16 PS12 kW; 20 PS in the 500 DL, up to 41 PS in the 650 TR II
Length
2,970 mm1,320 mm wide, 1,325 mm high
Weight
460 kgThe Wiener Zeitung’s figure; 470–580 kg across the models
Seats
42 + 2
Wheels
4Air-cooled flat twin at the back, driving the rear wheels
Price new
23,800 Schilling1957, about a third less than a Volkswagen Beetle
Production
59,940All models, 1957–⁠76, by Ehn’s year-by-year table
Top speed
100km/h100 km/h62 mph, for the 500

How big is it?

True proportion

2.97 m

It is exactly as long as a Fiat 500, about 1.7 adults laid end to end.

Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

In September 1955 auto motor und sport passed on news from the Tiroler Tageszeitung: after an extraordinary rise in car imports since the autumn of 1954, the Puch works in Graz had decided to build a car of its own. Economists had thought Austrian car-making too costly, but that view seemed to have changed, and the first test drives had already taken place.3 English Wikipedia dates the decision to 1954.2 Austria’s other small cars have their own page, Austrian microcars.

To save the cost of a body, Puch agreed with Fiat to buy the unpainted shell of the Nuova 500, which Dante Giacosa had designed; it made only the engine lid, later the roof as well, and its own engine, gearbox and running gear (see built under licence).12 The engineer was Erich Ledwinka, born in 1904, the son of the Tatra designer Hans Ledwinka, and chief designer and later technical director of Steyr-Daimler-Puch.14 He aimed, the Wiener Zeitung recounts, at a fully fledged four-seat small car that would also suit Alpine roads.5 His engine was an air-cooled flat twin in place of Fiat’s upright twin. Of the prototype, the U3, only an engine lid survives, with a wooden model, in the Johann Puch Museum in Graz.12

The works director Wilhelm Rösche presented the car in September 1957, at 23,800 Schilling, about a third less than a Volkswagen Beetle.5 It was sold as the Steyr-Puch 500 Modell Fiat, at first only with the full-length folding roof, in the hope of tempting motorcyclists.12 Kraftfahrzeugtechnik found it as frugal as the Fiat and much smoother, and its gearbox, synchronised on every forward gear from the start, well suited to mountain roads.1 The 500 did 100 km/h (62 mph) on 4.5 to 5.5 litres per 100 km.5 Fiat’s licence limited exports, but many cars went abroad all the same, mostly to Germany, and to Hungary and to Finland, where Sisu imported them.12 In 1958 the car was on the list of series-built models, at least 100 of each, eligible for the 12 Hours of Hockenheim, and German small advertisements were already offering conversions for it.67

From 500 D to 650 TR

In 1959 the 500 D took Fiat’s steel roof, the D standing for Dach, and the 500 DL had 20 PS; the oval front badge, the “manhole cover”, gave way to the “bird”. That year Graz built 8,334 cars, its best.125 Estates followed, the 700 C and the cheaper 700 E, with a 643 cc engine, and in 1962 the saloon took that engine as the 650 T, the T for the Thondorf works.12 The 650 engine is related to the one in the Haflinger off-roader.8

From 1964 came the 650 TR, with twin carburettors and 660 cc, and the 650 TR II, of 34 to 41 PS. They were meant first for the police, then sold to the public, and homologated in Group 2 for touring cars up to 700 cc.128 In 1966 Sobiesław Zasada won the European Rally Championship’s Group 2 touring-car title in one (see racing and rallying).29 Werner Hölbl built 18 Adria TS coupés by hand on the 700 C chassis, in his father’s body shop.2 German Wikipedia rates the TR II above its Abarth rivals because of its engine, and in Italy Piercarlo Borghesio and Giuseppe Lombardi raced Puchs.15

In 1967 Puch adopted Fiat’s later body, with doors hinged at the front, as the “Europa”. As demand fell, from 1969 it bought the whole drivetrain from Fiat except the engine, for the 500 S.12 From 1973 the Fiat 126 body replaced the 500’s, again with a Puch flat twin of 643 cc and 25 PS; 2,069 were built, the last in 1976, and production ended for lack of demand.12 By 1973 the 500 cost 32,900 Schilling.5

The Pucherl

Austrians called it the Pucherl, in Styria also the Puchschammerl, or the Knutschkugel, the “kissing ball”.125 It was the Austrian motoring club’s patrol car, and the Wiener Zeitung credits it with 62 per cent of its class in Austria.25 Gerhard Bronner wrote a song about it, Helmut Qualtinger made his only advertisement for it, and in March 2012 it appeared on an Austrian stamp.51 In the Münster episodes of the German crime series Tatort, the forensic assistant Silke Haller drives one (see microcars on screen).1

Der Steyr-Puch 500 wurde zu einem Stück steirischer Folklore.

Martin Krusche, as quoted by Georg Biron in the Wiener Zeitung, 2022. In English: “The Steyr-Puch 500 became a piece of Styrian folklore.”5
Bright red small rear-engined saloon on gravel, chrome bumper, oval grille with twin badge, parked beside a gold convertible.
An early 500 with the oval slatted grille, at a meeting in 2006.Photo: ChiemseeMan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Engine bay with a white fan shroud bearing Steyr and Puch badges, a large fan, air filter and wiring.
Under the engine lid: the Puch air-cooled flat twin, with its cooling fan and Puch-badged shroud.Photo: Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow small saloon with black roof, red tail and ‘Steyr-Puch 650 TR’ lettering, seen from above on a mountain road.
A Steyr-Puch 650 TR on the Schauinsland hill climb in 2007.Photo: Klaus Nahr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 9

  • Light blue small car with cream wheels and three round lamps on the front bumper, parked on block paving beside a black car. Opens a larger view

    1 A pale blue Steyr-Puch 500 D with three spot lamps across its nose and the roof rolled back, in 2017.

  • Red small saloon with chrome bumper and Austrian plate on a flowery meadow, larch forest behind. Opens a larger view

    2 A red later Steyr-Puch 500 with front-hinged doors, parked on a mountain meadow.

  • White small saloon parked on grass under a deep blue sky, folded fabric roof, tree branches above. Opens a larger view

    3 A white later Steyr-Puch 500 with front-hinged doors, in Austria in 2006.

  • Cream small saloon from the rear quarter, raised on red axle stands on wooden boards, Semperit and Shell posters behind. Opens a larger view

    4 A cream Steyr-Puch 500 S on axle stands in the Stadtmuseum Traiskirchen, Lower Austria, in 2023.

  • Red small saloon seen from the rear quarter, roof rolled back, twin exhaust pipes, Steyr-Puch script on the engine lid, show field behind. Opens a larger view

    5 A red Steyr-Puch 500 from behind in 2006, with its full-length fabric roof rolled back over the engine lid.

4 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Dark green small saloon with chrome bumpers, Puch winged grille and a blue rally plaque on the bonnet, parked among classics. Opens a larger view

    6 A green Steyr-Puch 500 D with a Hasten Historic rally plate at Remscheid, Germany, in 2013.

  • White small car head-on under an apple tree, chrome bumper, winged grille with twin badge, pink rally plaque and Austrian plate. Opens a larger view

    7 Head-on, the white Steyr-Puch 500 shows its winged Puch grille and the plaque of the 17th Steyr Puch Fiat Treffen, July 2006.

  • Pale green small car from behind with a white engine lid, race number 43 and a Shell sticker, beside a crash barrier. Opens a larger view

    8 A sage-green Steyr-Puch 500 D with a white engine lid carrying Steyr and Puch roundels, climbing at Würgau in 2017.

  • Cream small saloon with yellow wheels and ‘D’ script on the bonnet, roped off in a museum beside cartoon dancer cut-outs. Opens a larger view

    9 A cream Steyr-Puch 500 D at Eggenburg, carrying a ‘Freitag-Fahrverbot’ sticker from the 1970s fuel-crisis driving ban.

The car: 500 D 9

  • High view of a glossy red small car’s bonnet, windscreen and nose, with chrome grille, round headlamps and orange indicators. Opens a larger view

    10 A red Steyr-Puch 500 D from above at Techno-Classica, Essen, in 2016, with its fabric roof closed and the Puch grille catching the light.

  • Rear three-quarter of a turquoise small saloon with louvred engine lid, chrome bumper and exhaust, in a sunny park. Opens a larger view

    11 A turquoise Steyr-Puch 500 D from behind in Poděbrady, Czech Republic, in 2017, with the ‘500 Steyr-Puch’ badge and ‘D’ script on its engine lid.

  • Red small two-door car from the front, black fabric roof closed, parked on brick paving between a white sports car and a silver saloon. Opens a larger view

    12 A red Steyr-Puch 500 D head-on at Techno-Classica, Essen, in 2016, showing the winged grille with Steyr and Puch roundels.

  • Turquoise small saloon with winged grille and Czech plate in dappled shade, park benches and trees behind. Opens a larger view

    13 A turquoise Steyr-Puch 500 D at the Italian-car meeting in Poděbrady, Czech Republic, in 2017.

  • Light blue small car with cream wheels and a red number 1 sticker on the windscreen, cornering beside long grass. Opens a larger view

    14 A pale blue 1964 Steyr-Puch 500 D on a bend at Würgau in 2019.

4 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Light blue small car with a winged chrome grille and cream wheels, driver in an orange top, rounding a bend. Opens a larger view

    15 A pale blue 1964 Steyr-Puch 500 D, with black fabric roof and cream wheels, cornering at Würgau in 2022.

  • Red small car with number 38 on the door, seen from behind on a road, twin exhaust pipes under the bumper. Opens a larger view

    16 A red Steyr-Puch 500 D from the rear three-quarter at Würgau in 2022, its doors still hinged at the back.

  • Orange small saloon with chrome side strips on a pale floor, dark museum hall with other cars behind. Opens a larger view

    17 An orange 1962 Steyr-Puch 500 D at the Riga Motor Museum, Latvia.

  • Red small car from the front on a grey museum floor, winged grille, ‘D’ script on the bonnet, information block in front. Opens a larger view

    18 A red 1962 Steyr-Puch 500 D on its plinth at the Riga Motor Museum, Latvia, in 2024.

The car: 500 DL 4

  • Yellow small saloon with cream wheels and ‘DL’ script on the bonnet, among other classic cars in a wet car park. Opens a larger view

    19 A yellow Steyr-Puch 500 DL in the car park of the Classic Motor Show at Lahti, Finland, in 2010.

  • Rear of a yellow small saloon with louvred engine lid, chrome bumper and Finnish number plate, on a wet tarmac car park. Opens a larger view

    20 A yellow Steyr-Puch 500 DL from behind in Lahti, Finland, in 2010, with the ‘500 Steyr-Puch’ and ‘DL’ badges on its engine lid.

  • Pale green small car head-on on a tiled floor, round headlamps, winged chrome grille with twin badge, empty number-plate frame. Opens a larger view

    21 A green Steyr-Puch 500 DL head-on at the Johann Puch Museum, Graz, in 2004, showing the winged grille with Steyr and Puch roundels.

  • Pale green small saloon with chrome trim and ‘DL’ script on the bonnet, on a tiled floor beside vintage bicycles, museum card in front. Opens a larger view

    22 A green 1961 Steyr-Puch 500 DL in the Johann Puch Museum, Graz.

The car: 650 TR 9

  • Red small car seen head-on on tiles, winged grille with twin badge, roof rack with an L-plate driving-school sign. Opens a larger view

    23 A red Steyr-Puch 650 TR I head-on at the Johann Puch Museum, Graz, in 2004, its ‘Fahrschule’ roof sign above the winged Puch grille.

  • Red small saloon with race number 20 and sponsor decals cornering on a kerbed circuit beside a grass bank. Opens a larger view

    24 A 1964 Steyr-Puch 650 TR racing on the Nürburgring in 2007.

  • Red small car with black fabric roof, two large round lamps and badges along the front bumper, on a curving road. Opens a larger view

    25 A red Steyr-Puch 650 TR with two Hella spot lamps and a row of badges on its bumper, at Würgau in 2022.

  • Orange small car with red wheels and number 35 cornering towards the camera on a curving road. Opens a larger view

    26 An orange Steyr-Puch cornering at the Würgau hill-climb in 2019, entered as a 1967 Steyr-Puch 650 TR II.

  • Bright red small car with cream wheels and number 39 in the side window, driving uphill past grass. Opens a larger view

    27 A red Steyr-Puch 650 TR, entered as a 1964 car, on the Würgau hill climb in 2019.

4 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Orange small car with red wheels and race number 38 driving past a grassy verge, helmeted driver at the wheel. Opens a larger view

    28 An orange Steyr-Puch with ‘650 TR’ lettering on its flank, on the Würgau hill climb in 2017.

  • Bright green small car with number 37 and taped-over headlamps, cornering on a road edged with grass. Opens a larger view

    29 A green Steyr-Puch racer with orange wheels and bonnet pins, entered as a 650, at Würgau in 2019.

  • Red small saloon with black fabric roof and cream wheels behind a rope barrier, information board beside it, period posters on the wall. Opens a larger view

    30 A red Steyr-Puch 650 TR in the Nostalgiewelt Eggenburg, Lower Austria, in 2016.

  • Red small saloon with chrome roof rack carrying a driving-school sign, on a tiled museum floor beside a pale green car. Opens a larger view

    31 A red 1963 Steyr-Puch 650 TR I with a roof rack and driving-school sign, in the Johann Puch Museum, Graz.

Inside and details 5

  • Car interior seen through the open door: blue dashboard, cream steering wheel, patterned floor mats and leaflets on the seats. Opens a larger view

    32 Inside a pale blue Steyr-Puch 500 D in 2017: a pod speedometer behind the cream two-spoke wheel and extra gauges in a chrome centre panel.

  • Pale blue small car seen from behind with the engine lid open, showing a black fan housing and air filter, cables draped over the tail. Opens a larger view

    33 The engine bay of a 1961 Steyr-Puch 500 DL, its lid propped open among old garage test equipment at the Espoo Automobile Museum, Finland, in 2010.

  • Close-up of black italic lettering above cooling louvres on a red engine lid, with an orange tail lamp at the right. Opens a larger view

    34 The ‘Steyr Puch 500 D’ script on the engine lid of a red Steyr-Puch 500 D at Techno-Classica, Essen, in 2016.

  • Close view of red ‘Steyr Puch 500 S’ lettering on cream paint, with a chrome door handle and the wheel arch. Opens a larger view

    35 The ‘Steyr Puch 500 S’ script on the rear flank of a Steyr-Puch 500 S, behind the front-hinged door, photographed in 2023.

  • Close view of an oval chrome grille with vertical bars on a red car, carrying a linked Steyr and Puch badge and a 500 plate. Opens a larger view

    36 The Steyr-Puch 500’s own grille, with the Steyr and Puch roundels over a ‘500 Mod. Fiat’ plate, photographed in 2006.

Variants and relatives 5

  • Pale blue small saloon with orange stripe, Gulf, 76 and Shell decals, bonnet scoop and nudge bar, at an indoor show. Opens a larger view

    37 The ‘Gulf-Spezial’, a rally-styled Steyr-Puch 500 S, at Retro Classics, Stuttgart, in 2018.

  • Pale cream small estate car with a rolled-back fabric roof and winged chrome grille, on a show-hall floor beside a red saloon. Opens a larger view

    38 A Steyr-Puch 700 C, the Combi estate with the 643 cc engine, at Techno-Classica, Essen, in 2012.

  • Rear of a cream estate car with folded fabric roof, chrome door handle, number plate and a pink show placard leaning against it. Opens a larger view

    39 A Steyr-Puch 700 C estate from behind at Techno-Classica, Essen, in 2012, its side-opening rear door badged ‘700 C Steyr-Puch’ and its show card giving 1962.

  • Red small saloon with blue roof beacon and ‘Frw. Feuerwehr Stadt Feldbach’ lettering and crest on the door, on a village road. Opens a larger view

    40 A Steyr-Puch 500 of the Feldbach volunteer fire brigade, Styria, on the road in 2012.

  • Yellow small saloon with roof beacon and ÖAMTC sign, ‘Strassenwacht’ board on the nose and club eagle on the bonnet. Opens a larger view

    41 An ÖAMTC ‘Straßenwacht’ Steyr-Puch 500 at the Automesse Salzburg in 2023.

Picture credits (41)
  1. 1 Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. 2 Ghostwriter9151, CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. 3 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  4. 4 Karl Gruber, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5 ChiemseeMan, Public domain
  6. 6 Michael Kramer, CC BY-SA 3.0
  7. 7 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  8. 8 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  9. 9 Karl Gruber, CC BY-SA 4.0
  10. 10 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  11. 11 Stribrohorak, CC BY-SA 3.0
  12. 12 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  13. 13 Stribrohorak, CC BY-SA 3.0
  14. 14 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. 15 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  16. 16 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  17. 17 Milhouse35, CC BY-SA 4.0
  18. 18 Raf24, CC BY 4.0
  19. 19 Gwafton, CC BY-SA 3.0
  20. 20 Gwafton, CC BY-SA 3.0
  21. 21 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  22. 22 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  23. 23 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  24. 24 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  25. 25 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  26. 26 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  27. 27 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  28. 28 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  29. 29 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  30. 30 Karl Gruber, CC BY-SA 4.0
  31. 31 Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
  32. 32 Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
  33. 33 MKFI, Public domain
  34. 34 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  35. 35 Fiver, der Hellseher, CC BY-SA 4.0
  36. 36 ChiemseeMan, Public domain
  37. 37 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  38. 38 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  39. 39 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  40. 40 Kwerdenker, CC BY-SA 3.0
  41. 41 Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0

Variants

Eighteen years of variations

The Steyr-Puch range, with Ehn’s production figures
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
5001957–⁠59Fiat body with the full-length folding roofIn 39,045
500 D1959–⁠67Steel roof (Dach)In 39,045
500 DL1959–⁠62Luxury version, 20 PSIn 39,045
700 C (Combi)1960/61–68Estate, 643 cc, 25 PS8,566
700 E (Economy)1961/62–64 or 68Cheaper estate, 20 PS511
650 T1962–⁠68/69Saloon with the 643 cc engine5,574 with the TR
650 TR1964–⁠66/68Twin carburettors, 660 cc, 27–30 PSIn the 650 total
650 TR II1965–⁠69Competition version, Group 2; 34–41 PSIn the 650 total
500 Europa1967–⁠72Fiat’s later body, doors hinged at the front1,816
500 S1969–⁠73Fiat’s drivetrain with the Puch engine2,359
Steyr-Puch 1261973–⁠75The Fiat 126 body; 643 cc, 25 PS2,069
Adria TSFrom 1960Werner Hölbl’s hand-built coupé on the 700 C chassis18

Specification

The 500 of 1957, and the 650 TR II

Engine and drive

EnginePuch flat twin, air-cooled, four-stroke, in the tail, 493 cc12The Fiat used an upright in-line twin
Power16 PS (12 kW)1220 PS in the 500 DL
GearboxFour speeds, synchronised from the start1
DriveRear wheels; Puch’s own gearbox and running gear until 196912

Body and chassis

BodyThe Fiat Nuova 500 shell, bought unpainted; Puch’s own engine lid12
RoofFull-length folding roof; steel roof from the 500 D of 195912
DoorsHinged at the back; at the front from 19672

Dimensions

Length2,970 mm (116.9 in)12Up to 3,054 mm for later models
Width1,320 mm (52 in)12
Height1,325 mm (52.2 in)121,302 mm by some figures
Wheelbase1,840 mm12
Weight460 kg (1,014 lb)5470–580 kg across the models

Performance and running

Top speed100 km/h (62 mph)5
Consumption4.5–5.5 litres per 100 km5
Price new23,800 Schilling (1957)532,900 Schilling by 1973
650 TR II660 cc, 34 or 41 PS by version; Group 2 to 700 cc12842 bhp at 6,000 rpm by motormarques

How many were built?

Every figure, with its source

59,940 built59,940 from 1957 to 1976, all models, by Friedrich Ehn’s year-by-year table; the encyclopaedias and the Wiener Zeitung say almost 60,000. The Fiat side’s 57,871 agrees once the 126 is left out.

  1. 59,940all models, 1957–⁠76One source

    Ehn, Das Puch Automobil Buch (2019), via English Wikipedia2

  2. almost 60,000all modelsTwo sources agree

    German Wikipedia and the Wiener Zeitung15

  3. 57,871Steyr-Puch 500s, apparently without the 126One source

    Italian Wikipedia, Fiat Nuova 50010

  4. 39,045500, 500 D and 500 DLTwo sources agree

    Ehn, via English Wikipedia; motormarques28

  5. 8,334built in 1959, the best yearTwo sources agree

    Ehn, via English Wikipedia; the Wiener Zeitung25

  6. 2,069Steyr-Puch 126, 1973–⁠76Two sources agree

    German and English Wikipedia12

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. Fiat body, Puch heart

    The shell came from Turin; the flat twin, gearbox and running gear were Puch’s own.

  2. European champion

    Zasada’s 1966 Group 2 title made it, by FIVA’s account, the smallest-engined car to win a European rally championship.

  3. Austria’s Pucherl

    The motoring club’s patrol car, a song, an advertisement and a stamp.

Racing and records

Hill climbs and rallies

Its finest year was 1966, when Sobiesław Zasada of Poland won the Group 2 touring-car title of the European Rally Championship in a 650 TR II. FIVA calls the 650 the smallest-engined car ever to win it; Zasada took the title twice more, in other makes.2918

26 April 1959
Ernesto Prinoth wins the San Marino hill climb, the car’s first race in Italy.5
1963
Pöltinger and Merinsky fastest in their class on the Monte Carlo Rally in a 650 T, which was not yet homologated.8
1966 and 1967
Gerard van Lennep wins the Dutch production-car championship up to 700 cc in a yellow 650 TR.2

Survivors and collecting

Today

No count of the survivors has been found. The Johann Puch Museum in Graz keeps a 1963 650 TR and what is left of the U3 prototype, and the Steyr Puch Club Austria and the Steyr Puch Club Salzburg look after the cars.12 In 2014 motormarques put a good 500 or 500 D at about €12,000, an original 650 T at about €14,000 and an original 650 TR or TR II above €35,000, the most sought after being an early TR II with rear-hinged doors.8 Collectors have made a cult of the car: a rally-styled 500 S, the “Gulf-Spezial”, is a much-photographed show car.1 Major auction houses have no recorded sale of one in the sources read. In 2007 one owner put the case for the bigger engine plainly.11

Ich hab’ keinen brustschwachen 500er, sondern den 650er mit bärenstark.

Dr Georg Kurtz of Gleisdorf, an owner, to Martin Krusche, Falter 34/2007. In English: “I haven’t got a weak-chested 500, I’ve got the 650, bear-strong.”11
Yellow small saloon with ‘Pannenhilfe’ board across the nose and club eagle crest on the door, on a show stand.
A 1965 Steyr-Puch 500 in the road-patrol livery of the Austrian motoring club, ÖAMTC, at Tulln in 2014.Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Numbered as in the text

Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. German Wikipedia, Steyr-Puch 500, read in full. Used as a lead; it cites Kraftfahrzeugtechnik 5/1958, Ehn, Die Puch-Automobile 1900–⁠1990, and Marschik and Krusche (2012).
  2. English Wikipedia, Puch 500, read in full. Used as a lead; its production table is from Friedrich F. Ehn (ed.), Das Puch Automobil Buch (2019), p. 286, and its Adria TS from Austro Classic 3/2017.
  3. “Puch-Kleinwagen?”, news from the Tiroler Tageszeitung, auto motor und sport 20/1955.
  4. Deutsche Biographie, index entry “Ledwinka, Erich”.
  5. Georg Biron, “Steyr Puch 500”, an essay from the Wiener Zeitung, 10 September 2022, on austria-forum.org.
  6. Regulations and list of eligible cars for the 12 Hours of Hockenheim, auto motor und sport 10/1958, read in extract.
  7. Small advertisements, auto motor und sport 15/1958, 17/1958 and 21/1958.
  8. Guus Docen, “The Steyr-Puch 500 and 650”, motormarques.com, 19 July 2014.
  9. FIVA, “Heroes of motoring history: Sobieslaw Zasada”, read in full.
  10. Italian Wikipedia, Fiat Nuova 500, read in full.
  11. Martin Krusche, “Radikale Renn-Semmel”, Falter 34/2007.