Description
The Steyr 220 with Gläser bodywork was an exclusive vehicle, notable for its elegant, aerodynamic lines and high-quality craftsmanship, typical of the Dresden coachbuilding company. These bodies, mainly built as roadsters and convertibles, set the model apart from mass-market saloons.
The Gläser bodies for the Steyr 220 are regarded as masterpieces of 1930s design.
Elegant line execution: The vehicles featured beautiful, clean lines that were aesthetically pleasing and aerodynamically optimised.
Exclusivity: With only a small number produced (fewer than 10 roadsters), these models are extremely rare and sought after. This beautiful roadster was built at the Steyr-Daimler-Puch works in the town of Steyr, Austria. The factory produced the chassis of the Steyr 220, consisting of the frame, engine, transmission and steering mechanism. In November 1938 the chassis was completed in Steyr and delivered to Dresden in Germany, where Gläser coachwork was based – one of the most important German coachbuilders of the era. There they produced unique, streamline (teardrop-shaped) bodies in the Art Deco style for each individually ordered roadster. Because the body was entirely handmade, every roadster was a one-off and differed slightly from the others. For example, the length of the front wings could vary by up to 10 cm depending on the vehicle.
After the vehicle left the Gläser manufactory in March 1939, this very car was shown at the Berlin Motorshow 1939. Directly from the show it was purchased by the Austrian consul in Latvia – thus this vehicle found its new home.
