Yesterday’s Mercedes G-Wagen set #SteyrDaimlerPuch, now Magna Steyr, on its course as a developer and contract manufacturer of vehicles for other companies, in this case the electric iPace for #Jaguar, made (but not developed) by Magna Steyr in Austria. Seen at the Geneva Motor Show, 2017 (cutaway in 2018). Contract manufacturers like #MagnaSteyr, Valmet (Finland) and VDL Nedcar (Netherlands) are hidden giants of today’s motor industry. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar

Steyr-Daimler-Puch’s expertise in off-road vehicles such as yesterday’s Haflinger made it an obvious partner to Mercedes for the 1979 G-Wagen. Development started in 1972 towards the end of the Erich Ledwinka era. The G-Klasse has always been manufactured by Steyr and for many years, Gs sold in central and eastern Europe were badged as Puchs. This appealingly basic early W460 version was at Techno Classica Essen in 2018 #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar #SteyrDaimlerPuch

Here’s one for @vwdasher - the next link in the Erich Ledwinka/Steyr story. The Steyr-Puch Haflinger, like the later Pinzgauer, was one of the most capable off-road vehicles of its time. The design echoed a number of Tatra features such as swing axles, a backbone chassis and an air-cooled engine - in this case shared with the 650 TR 2 featured yesterday. Pic: Techno Classica Essen 2016. More Steyr-Daimler-Puch tomorrow. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar #SteyrDaimlerPuch

The next link in the Ledwinka story. Hans Ledwinka’s son Erich was chief engineer at Steyr-Daimler-Puch in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Steyr Puch 650 TR 2 combined the body of the Fiat 500 with Steyr’s own engine, a reportedly smoother two-cylinder boxer, in place of Fiat’s in-line twin. The Fiat-based Steyr Puch models were made from 1957 to 1975. Apologies for the blurry phone pics from Techno Classica Essen 2013. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar #SteyrDaimlerPuch