The 24th pre-production three-axle example built
Used by Steyr as a snowplough in the 1980s
Later used as an expedition vehicle
Engine already running again
When Steyr-Daimler-Puch began thinking about a successor to the Haflinger in the mid-1960s, it was allowed to be a little more of everything. More payload, more power, more space – only its off-road ability was not to suffer in the slightest. Under the direction of Erich Ledwinka, son of legendary Tatra engineer Hans Ledwinka, development began in 1965 on a vehicle designed less according to the rules of conventional trucks than those of a mountain goat.
As with the little Haflinger, Steyr relied on a central tubular chassis with portal axles. Reduction gears at the wheels provided enormous ground clearance, while independent suspension and selectable differential locks ensured that the Pinzgauer could keep going where ordinary off-roaders had long since buried their axles in the mud. Appropriately enough, it took its name from a sturdy Austrian breed of horse.
Series production began in Graz in 1971. The Pinzgauer was offered as the four-wheel-drive 710 and the six-wheel-drive 712. Beneath the short bonnet sat a purpose-developed, air-cooled 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing around 90 hp. That did not sound like much, but speed was never really part of the job description. Instead, the Puch climbed, waded and articulated its way across terrain that would have had others turning back at the mere sight of it.
Military customers in particular were quick to recognise its talents. The Austrian Armed Forces bought the Pinzgauer, as did the armies of Switzerland and Great Britain. More powerful diesel engines and a second generation would follow later.
This particular Pinzgauer was built two years before series production actually began. According to its papers, this three-axle vehicle was the 24th example built in a pre-production series and was first registered as early as 1969. From 1985, it served Steyr-Daimler-Puch at the company’s Leonding branch clearing snow. It even received appropriate winter camouflage, as can be seen in the period photographs contained in its individual type approval.
Later, the indestructible Pinzgauer served as an expedition vehicle on journeys halfway around the world. And naturally enough, the world has left its marks. A few years ago, it was recovered from a garage and its engine was brought back to life. The first steps towards reviving this early piece of Styrian four-wheel-drive history have been taken. A few more will certainly have to follow.