Tiny Classic Car a True Racing Hero
In the 1960s, an Austrian subcompact car caused a stir in Europe’s touring-car sport: the Steyr-Puch 650 TR and TRII that was born in 1957 as ‘Puch 500 Modell Fiat. But let’s first take a look at the tiny racer’s roots: Steyr-Puch was founded back in 1864 in Austria as ‘Josef und Franz Werndl & Comp., Waffenfabrik und Sägemühle’, switched from building weapons to producing bicycles in 1894 and in 1918, they started to manufacturer cars. In the 1950s, after several changes of name, the company now called Steyr-Puch signed the cooperation deal that allowed them to build the aforementioned subcompact.
The main difference between our ‘exhibit’ and the Fiat 500 was the engine. While Fiat equipped the car with a two-cylinder inline engine, Steyr-Puch opted for a two-cylinder flat engine and that’s why the Steyr-Puch 650 proved to be more successful in motor racing than its Abarth tuned Italian brethren. In 1964, for instance, Poland’s Sobieslaw Zasada won the European Championship with a Steyr-Puch 650.
The engine of the car described in this text has got a capacity of 680 mm and with its clearly lightened crank and valve trains as well as revised valves and cylinder heads the engine produces – depending on the weather – 62 to 64 bhp at 7200 rpm. In the 1960s the car was approved for the FIA Group 2 up to 700cc. Today, the 650 that is equipped with a Koni suspension (Koni shock absorbers and special springs at the rear, Koni shock absorbers with enhanced original leaf spring at the front as using a coilover suspension is prohibited), Monte Carlo exhaust system, external oil cooler and far more is a true winner car that has got what it takes to defeat every rival both in the Histo Cup (road racing) and in hill climbs.
While the engine was lubricated with mineral oil, back in the past, partly synthetic additives such as the ones in RAVENOL TSi SAE 10W-40 (a partly synthetic high-performance low viscosity engine oil featuring CleanSynto® Technology with PAO portion) is making its life easier with what definitely may be regarded as a life-prolonging measure.
In the area of the original four-speed gearbox with altered transmission ratio and 38er crown wheel, the RAVENOL Multi-Purpose Gearbox Oil MZG SAE 80W-90 GL-4 (high-quality basic oils combined with a well-balanced mix of active-ingredient additives) executes the same task.
It goes without saying that the brakes of the tiny Austrian racer also have been enhanced: both at the front and at the rear, the original brake drums were equipped with bigger wheel cylinders and Wartburg Racing brake pads with increased portion of sinter. And it also goes without saying that RAVENOL’s brake fluid RAVENOL DOT 4, featuring high chemical stability, makes for the best possible lubrication and brake performance.