Information
- Very rare, corresponding to the Fiat Nuova 500 "N".
- Never distributed in Italy.
- One of the firsts: first year of production.
- Complete restoration.
New registration and Italian plates, in order and updated.
Eligibility-
Giro di Sicilia. Eligible.
Targa Florio. Eligible.
Goodwood Revival. Eligible
Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti. Eligible.
Coppa delle Alpi by 1000 Miglia. Eligible.
Winther Marathon. Eligible.
Vernasca Silver Flag. Eligible.
Nürburgring Classic. Eligible.
Provenance
The Steyr-Puch 500, with chassis no. 5101050 is a car built at the end of 1957 and registered new in January 1958. The only model, produced up to that time in a thousand units, corresponds to the contemporary Italian sister from which it derived, the "N" version, inheriting many features, like the large canvas hood that went down to the rear hood and incorporated the vinyl rear window; the wheels with 12-inch rims, never produced before; the "suicide" doors, ie hinged to the rear; the ventilation grilles that from 1959 will be replaced by the front parking lights. There were many differences, however, with the equivalent Italian Nuova 500 “N”, in the details and body finishes; the different front frieze and the rear bonnet with larger air intakes to improve cooling stood out. Even the interiors were different with more refined finishing and less essential coverings but, above all, the engine was different. The Fiat engine, born 479 cc with 13 hp, had just been raised up to 15 hp but did not solve some of its birth defects. The Steyr-Puch engine, matched to a ZF gearbox, was radically different: it was a twin-cylinder aluminium air-cooled boxer of 493 cc, which developed a power comparable to the Fiat engine on paper, with 16 declared hp, but was in practice more usable, for the more progressive and less rough power delivery, and was definitely better in terms of vibrations and comfort.The Steyr-Puch 500, with chassis no. 5101050 always living in Austria, was registered in Italy in 2013. It has undergone a complete restoration of mechanics, body and interiors, with the utmost respect for the original features, details and livery. It comes with red body with cream wheels and two-tone, cream and beige interiors. The dashboard, peculiar to the model for shaping on the steering column, has the typical speedometer with the counter clockwise circular scale. The car has four Pirelli CN 54 tires, new with reproductions of the old pattern. The soft top is new, the rare original front grille is in perfect condition. The engine is the correct type. With the documents, also the "Typgenehmigungs-Bescheid", original Austrian homologation document.
State of the Art
Complete restoration of mechanical parts, body and interiors.
Literature
- Matthias Marschik, Martin Krusche, Die Geschichte des Steyr Puch 500: In Österreich weltbekannt, Verlagshaus Hernals, Vienna 2018.
- Friedrich F. Ehn, Das PUCH-Automobil-Buch, Weishaupt Verlag, Gnas 2019