The "Grossglockner" Car

First "Grossglockner crossing" of the "Grossglockner high alpine road" (Austria) on Sept. 22nd, 1934

As a result of inheritance, I am in possession of an original replica of the Steyr 100, a unique vehicle that was manufactured by Steyr-Werke in a special lightweight construction, as shown in the photo. While the vehicle holds no value to me personally, I have chosen not to sell it but instead make it available to a museum on loan in honor of my father's life's work, Irimbert Patscheider.

 

History:

 

When Steyr-Werke first launched the Steyr 100 in 1934 as the world's first mass-produced streamlined car, no one could have imagined that two great automotive feats would be accomplished with this vehicle. The first is probably the first trip around the world in an automobile, carried out by Dr. Max Reisch, and the second is the first crossing of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which was still under construction at the time.

 

The day before the ceremonial opening of the north ramp of the Grossglockner Road, the governor of Salzburg, Dr. Rehrl, accompanied by the construction manager, Oberbaurat Wallack, and Ing. Kammergruber of Steyr-Werke, took a drive over the apex section of the high alpine road, which was still under construction. The vehicles provided by Steyr-Werke were a Steyr 100 chassis with body parts manufactured in a special lightweight construction (wood!).

 

Loaded with 20,000 cigarettes for the workers, the journey took them from Zell am See via Ferleiten, Hochmoos, and Fuschertörl (all in Austria) over the line under construction to the Fuscherlacke and through the Mitteltor Tunnel and the Hochtor Tunnel to the border between Salzburg and Carinthia. From the Hochtor, the descent was made to Guttal, where the already completed south ramp was reached, and the continuation to Heiligenblut. With this, the first crossing under partly adventurous conditions, some road sections had been blasted out of the rocks only 24 hours before, was successful.

 

Reisch car connection:

 

After the successful crossing of the Glockner, the car was returned to the Steyr-Werke, which initially had no real use for the car and did not know what to do with it. When Dr. Max Reisch approached the Steyr-Werke with the request for a car for his round-the-world trip, they remembered this vehicle and made it available to him.

 

For Dr. Max Reisch, this car was a stroke of luck, since it actually consisted only of a chassis with a hood and a few additional parts. Therefore, it was easy for Dr. Max Reisch to convert the car and mount the superstructures suitable for his company. After the successful trip around the world, the car went to Vienna to the Technical Museum and later became the property of the Reisch family.

 

Apparently, in later years, Steyr-Werke produced a few more copies of the Glockner car for promotional purposes, for example, one for the 25th anniversary of the first ascent of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.

 

This car:

 

At some point, around 1970, my father purchased an old Steyr 100 in a van version that was no longer roadworthy. After the removal of the obstructive bodywork, in years of painstaking detail work, according to the plans of the Steyr-Werke, the vehicle was restored as far as possible true to the original in the Glockner version. All work was done by my father himself. I myself scraped off several kilos of rust from the chassis of this vehicle when I was 14 years old at the time.

 

My father's top priority was to keep the car as true to the original as possible. His love for faithfulness to the original went so far that he registered the vehicle with the same license plate. However, it was not possible to start the license plate with a "C", but he got around that by simply making a "C" out of the "O" with the help of black adhesive tape.

 

However, limits were set for him by the licensing authority, where, contrary to the original plans, a fixed windshield was prescribed.

 

My father took part in various veteran rallies with the vehicle and last drove it over the Grossglockner again in 1987 on the occasion of an anniversary (100th birthday of Ing. Wallack?) for the Brucker Stamp club.

 

Due to the death of my father in 1995, the Steyr 100 came into my possession by inheritance. Subsequently, the vehicle stood in the former house of my father near Christkindl (Austria) and rusted away. On May 28th 2003 I made the vehicle available as a loan to the Max-Reisch Museum in Innsbruck in the building of the giant round painting. Thanks to Mr. Christoph Schlenck the vehicle was restored and made roadworthy again.

 

Unfortunately the Max Reisch exhibition in the Rotunda in Innsbruck (Austria) had to close because the building was to be rebuilt. All exhibits went back to the Reisch family, the Steyr 100 of course to me.

 

On 17.11.2008 the car was transferred (thanks to the efforts of Mr. Christoph Schlenck) to the private museum of Mr. Kurt Seidler in Oeynhausen (Traiskirchen Austria). There it stood among a lot of BMWs next to a Steyr baby and actually does not fit in at all.

 

In June 2010 the car moved to the vehicle museum of Mr. Helmut Vötter in Kaprun in Pinzgau (Austria).

 

Mr. Helmut Vötter provided the vehicle on July 7th, 2011 for the automobile exhibition on the Franz Josefs hight on the Grossglockner (Austria), where it is currently displayed in a dignified setting.

 

Photos

 

Photo 1987 of the Steyr 100 on the occasion of a Glockner crossing for the Bruck stamp collector's club

Photo 1987 of the Steyr 100 on the occasion of a Glockner crossing for the Bruck stamp collector's club

 

Fotos von der Erstfahrt

 

First crossing - 24 hours after the completion of the road!

First crossing - 24 hours after the completion of the road!

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner car before departure

Before departure

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner car on the track cheered by workers

On the track cheered by workers

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner car on the road

On the road

 

First crossing - 24 hours after the completion of the road!

First crossing - 24 hours after the completion of the road!

 

Mein Erbstück

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner car in front of the portal of the Steyr Werke

In front of the portal of the Steyr-Werke

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner-Auto

 

Steyr 100 Grossglockner car in the Max-Reisch Museum in Innsbruck

In the Max-Reisch museum in Innsbruck

 

In the private museum of Kurt Seidler in Oeynhausen.

in the private museum of Kurt Seidler in Oeynhausen.

 

In the automobile exhibition on the Franz Josefs hight on the Grossglockner

In the automobile exhibition on the Franz Josefs hight on the Grossglockner