The Steyr 30, also listed as the Steyr XXX, was the Austrian firm’s upper-middle-class car of 1930. It replaced the model XX, was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, and was already on the stand at the Paris Salon in October 1930 when Porsche had left the Steyr works.
Steyr 30 at a glance
| Maker | Steyr-Werke A.G., Steyr |
|---|---|
| Production | 1930–1933 |
| Predecessor | Steyr XX |
| Designer | Ferdinand Porsche |
| Engine | six-cylinder in-line, front mounted |
| Power rating | 8/40 PS in the standard car |
| Gearbox | four-speed manual |
| Layout | rear-wheel drive |
| Front axle | rigid axle on longitudinal leaf springs |
| Rear axle | swing axle on a transverse leaf spring |
| Standard cars built | 2,200 |
| Successor | Steyr 430 |
based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on the Steyr 30, which follows Werner Oswald’s Deutsche Autos 1920–1945.
History of the Steyr 30
Porsche’s last Steyr
The Steyr 30 was developed as the successor to the model XX and was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, who had joined the Steyr works in 1929 after leaving Mercedes-Benz. By the time the car stood on the Paris Salon in October 1930, Porsche had already left the company again. The car kept the classical Steyr layout: a six-cylinder in-line engine at the front, a four-speed gearbox and rear-wheel drive, with rigid front axles on longitudinal leaf springs and a rear swing axle carried on a transverse leaf spring.
The standard car and the taxis
The standard version, rated 8/40 PS, was built until 1932 in exactly 2,200 examples. Alongside it Steyr offered the Steyr 30 Typ 45 Taxameter, a taxi version sold from 1930 to 1933 with three rows of two seats, a folding roof at the front and a folding hood at the rear; 666 were built. One car of 1931 survives in the automobile museum at Aspang in Lower Austria.
Two more bodies for 1932
For 1932 the range was widened. The Steyr 30 E, also called the Steyr 130 or 8/38 PS, was technically identical and was built in 343 examples in that year only. The Steyr 30 S, or Steyr 230, was a two- or four-seat cabriolet with a more powerful 8/45 PS engine and a distinctly longer body than the saloon; 620 were made. The Steyr 30 SL, or Steyr 330, was a six-seat saloon on a longer wheelbase with the same engine as the sporting model, but only 55 were built before the type was replaced by the Steyr 430 in 1933.
Design and features
- Porsche chassis: rigid front axle with longitudinal leaf springs and a rear swing axle on a transverse leaf spring.
- Six-cylinder power: the standard car was rated 8/40 PS and drove through a four-speed gearbox.
- Taxi body: the Typ 45 Taxameter carried six passengers in three rows and had a rolling roof at the front.
- Long-wheelbase derivative: the 30 SL offered six seats and the engine of the sporting model.
Steyr 30 versions
- Steyr 30 (8/40 PS): the standard saloon, 2,200 built to 1932.
- Steyr 30 E / 130 (8/38 PS): identical car, 343 built in 1932.
- Steyr 30 Typ 45 Taxameter: taxi with three rows of seats, 666 built 1930–1933.
- Steyr 30 S / 230 (8/45 PS): longer cabriolet with a stronger engine, 620 built.
- Steyr 30 SL / 330: six-seat long-wheelbase saloon, 55 built.
The 30 was replaced by the Steyr 430, and the six-cylinder line continued with the Steyr 120 and 220. More cars are in the Steyr collection.
Sources
- Steyr 30, German Wikipedia: design, chassis, production numbers, variants, source Oswald
