Measured Courage - The early 1960s were a restless moment for European automotive design, a time when small manufacturers and independent designers dared to imagine alternatives to conservative mass-market cars. Out of that atmosphere emerged a compact Austrian coupé with unexpected ambition:
the Styer-Puch Adria TS. Quietly conceived yet boldly executed, this car represented a young designer’s attempt to reshape how a modest platform could be transformed into something emotionally engaging and forward-looking.
The Adria TS was designed and built by
Werner Hölbl,
the son of Otto Hölbl,
using a Steyr-Puch 700 chassis as its foundation.
Still in his early twenties and trained in applied arts,
Hölbl set out to give
the humble Steyr-Puch 500 family a more dynamic and sporting identity.
Initial experiments were carried out on the shorter 500 chassis, but true balance and driving satisfaction only emerged after the body was mounted on
the Puch 700 station wagon platform, which offered a wheelbase extended by seven centimeters. This adjustment proved crucial, allowing the car’s proportions and road behavior to finally align with its visual promise.
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| The Steyr Puch Adria TS sat on display on the André Chardonnet stand at the 1962 Paris Auto Show. (Picture from: eBay.com.au) |
Visually,
the Adria TS stood apart from typical microcars of its era.
Its body featured clean,
cohesive lines influenced by contemporary Italian design,
giving it a refined coupé silhouette rather than the utilitarian look common among small European cars.
The exterior flowed as a single,
unified form,
while the interior—
though simple by necessity—was intended to feel purposeful and driver-focused rather than purely economical.
The overall character suggested a scaled-down grand tourer,
not merely a dressed-up city car,
which was precisely Hölbl’s intention.
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| The Styer-Puch Adria TS stood apart visually from typical microcars of its era, with clean, cohesive lines shaped by contemporary Italian design that gave it a refined coupé silhouette instead of a utilitarian small-car appearance. (Picture from: CarsThatNeverMadeItEtc in Tumblr) |
The seriousness of the project extended far beyond design sketches. In a remarkable personal investment,
Hölbl spent around one million Austrian schillings to commission a wooden master pattern in Italy,
used to shape and thin the metal body panels.
Production took place in his parents’ body repair workshop in Vienna,
where 18 examples of the Adria TS were hand-built between 1960 and 1961. Each car reflected a level of craftsmanship uncommon for such a small, independent operation, reinforcing
Hölbl’s hope that the model could eventually reach series production.
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| The Styer-Puch Adria TS conveyed the character of a scaled-down grand tourer rather than a dressed-up city car, precisely reflecting Hölbl’s original intention. (Picture from: CarsThatNeverMadeItEtc in Tumblr) |
Confident in its potential,
Hölbl actively sought industrial backing.
One Adria TS was personally presented to Fiat’s leadership,
and promotional materials were already prepared,
listing two engine options rated at 28 hp and 32 hp,
along with a finalized sales price. Despite these efforts, the proposal was rejected.
Officially,
the car was deemed too expensive to produce,
though it was widely suspected that Steyr-Puch AG was reluctant to introduce a model that might compete internally with its own Steyr-Puch 500.
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| The Styer-Puch Adria TS was produced in Werner Hölbl’s parents’ body repair workshop in Vienna, where 18 examples were hand-built between 1960 and 1961. (Picture from: CarsThatNeverMadeItEtc in Tumblr) |
Although construction likely concluded around 1961,
the Adria TS entered automotive history as
a 1962 model,
following its public debut at the Paris Motor Show that year,
where it appeared unexpectedly on the André Chardonnet stand.
At just 22 years old,
Werner Hölbl had created what would become his most significant early work, predating his involvement with
the Fiat 1500 Gamma in
1964. Today,
the Styer-Puch Adria TS stands as a rare and thoughtful artifact of its era—a reminder that innovation often comes not from large studios, but from individuals willing to challenge convention with skill, conviction, and imagination.
*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | EBAY.COM.AU | WIKIPEDIA | FORUM-AUTO.CARDISIAC | MODELLTOYS | CARS THAT NEVER MADE IT ETC IN TUMBLR | FIAT CLUB HUNGARY IN FACEBOOK ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
