Car museums can be presented in many ways, around varying themes, some more finely tuned than others in their content and presentations. Some feature just cars from one country, such as the British Motor Museum, for example. Some showcase cars from one brand, like the National Corvette Museum or the Jaguar Heritage Collection at Gaydon. Others, cars just from one man’s collection, as the Haynes Museum does. Or highlight how the regular car was seen and used by regular people, like the British Car Journey, with the cars we went on holiday in. And then, museums featuring just the cars of one man, such as the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum.
But a museum centred around one personality? It had better be a big personality.
Museum Fahr(T)raum Mattsee, Salzburg – Meilensteine Der Mobilitat*
A word on the naming. In German fahr means drive or ride, fahrt is journey; raum is a space, traum is a dream. So it’s a space to dream about a journey or a drive. Bit laboured maybe, but it works for me, and is a lot shorter than many alternatives.
(*Milestones of Mobility)
The museum is essentially a place to tell the story of the career progress and engineering achievements of Ferdinand Porsche, one of the great, perhaps the greatest, automotive engineers. There is a lot more to Ferdinand Porsche than just the VW Beetle and the Porsche sports cars; he was the engineer if not the business lead behind much more, and as we’ve seen before, any business lead without an engineer (or credible engineering capacity) is going nowhere in this industry. And it all started long before the Porsche 356 or VW Beetle.
Born in 1875 in Maffersdorf in Bohemia (now Vratislavice nad Nisou in the Czech Republic), then part of Austria-Hungary, Porsche is often now reported to have been Austrian; he was certainly from the Austro-Hungarian Empire but not Austria; from 1918 he was Czech, from 1935 he was a German citizen (at the direction of the Nazi leadership) and from 1949 a West German.
The Porsche family home of 1875 is now a museum in its own right in Vratislavice nad Nisou, although there is a complex relationship with the company and family now. Fahr(T)raum’s links to the family are simpler and clearer – the collection is essentially owned by the Porsche and Piech family and the foundation is led by Ernst Piech, son of Louise Piech, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and brother of Ferdinand Piech.
Porsche took his first engineering role with the Bela Egger electrical engineering business in Vienna in 1893, whilst continuing part time studies at what is now Vienna University of Technology. Five years later he was working for Jacob Lohner’s coachbuilding business k.u.k. Hofwagenfabrik Ludwig Lohner & Co, developing an electric vehicle. The first version from 1900 was powered by a large bank of acid cell batteries, in suspended battery containers and driving hub mounted motors, and weighed over four tons. It was a starter for Lohner into the business of electric trucks and buses, something that it is still visible in its current form as Bombardier Transportation Austria Gmbh, building trams and light rail vehicles.
But the museum is (rightly) proud of the 1901 Lohner-Porsche Mixte, or hybrid, the world’s first hybrid. This combined an engine from Daimler (then still separate from Benz) which powered hub mounted motors through a generator.
This format would mirror what we now know as a series hybrid, where the engine drives the generator which drives the wheels, rather than an engine and an electric motor supplementing each other. The wheel hub motors were geared with three speeds and could be switched to generators, to add similarly to regenerative brakes but in this case generating the recovered energy as heat that was dissipated externally.
Some 300 vehicles were built over the next four years, including some for competition use, and some with Panhard engines. By then Porsche himself had been conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army and was chauffeur to Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Yes, that Archduke, but not on that journey.
From 1906, Porsche joined the company then called Austrian Daimler Engine Society and later known as Austro-Daimler, where he perhaps made his greatest impact, before his consultancy work, as Austro-Daimler’s chief engineer. Austro-Daimler was then a subsidiary of the main German Daimler company, building a variety of engines and vehicles around Daimler components. Typically products were luxury cars, some trucks and buses and the engines for them. Porsche succeeded Paul Daimler, son of Gottlieb, in this role, as he returned to the parent company in Stuttgart, then building Mercedes cars. By 1909, Austro-Daimler was a separate business, utilising some Daimler licences, and set to building a variety of high end, high power cars and racing cars, under Porsche’s technical leadership until 1923.
Perhaps the best known Austro-Daimler of this period was the Prinz Heinrich car, built to compete in the 1910 Prinz Heinrich Trial, named after Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia, brother of the German Kaiser Wilhelm. The trial was akin to a modern rally, of around 1200 miles covering much of Germany.
Austro-Daimler entered eight cars, and took the top three places in the 1911 trial, with Ferdinand Porsche driving the winning (white) car. The car had a 5.7 litre 4 cylinder engine with some 95 bhp. As typical for the period, chain drive, rear wheel brakes only and semi-elliptic springs all round.
In 1911, a Prinz Heinrich reached a then record speed of 106 mph, on the Neunkirchner Allee, 8.7 miles of dead straight and level road south of Vienna originally created as a datum for the mapping of Austria.
This 1914 Austro Daimler AD35 was given to Porsche’s daughter Louise on her 16th birthday in 1920, two years after she had obtained a driving licence.
3.6 litres, four cylinders, and in production in various forms from 1911 and throughout the Great War for the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Incidentally, don’t overlook Louise Porsche in the Porsche story. Her brother Ferry may have taken the engineering limelight but Louise, who married her father’s legal adviser and business confidant Anton Piech, went on to run the other aspects of the Porsche businesses after WW2, notably as the VW importer in Austria. The family business Porsche SE now effectively controls VW, which owns Porsche AG the car builder, and without Frau Piech’s efforts and achievements that would not have happened. Louise Piech always said she only had cars from her family – her father, her brother or her son Ferdinand Piech.
In 1906, when Porsche was hired by Austro-Daimler, his first design was the 28/32. This example was built in 1907 for the General Inspector of Artillery, Archduke Leopold Salvator.
4.5 litres, chain drive and 50 mph.
This is a 1910 Austro-Daimler AD 9/20, built under Porsche’s supervision.
This specific car was created as a gift for the Austro-Hungarian imperial family with a body built by Armbruser, one of Austria’s premium coachbuilders.
Austro-Daimler built a range of prestige phaetons under the ADR Double Phaeton label, with bodywork by various coachbuilders and in various formats, including closed saloon and even a fire engine.
When Porsche left Austro-Daimler for Daimler, his first major project was the completion of the 24/100/140, building a car suitable for Presidents and Emperors.
6.2 litres, 200 inches and a very clear statement about the owner, most likely the passenger in the back not the driver. I have to say though, needing an external luggage rack on a 17 foot car suggests a certain lack of packaging expertise.
This is the 1929 ADM-R Torpedo, build around the swing axle rear suspension with a wooden body, and intended as a suspension test bed initially. And then Hans Stuck got to drive it. Stuck was then an Austro-Daimler works driver, competing in a variety of road races, trials and hillclimbs.
The engine was a three litre four cylinder OHC design with around 100 bhp and with the light weight wooden body was capable of around 80 mph.
Ultimately, Stuck adopted it as his personal car until he joined the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows grand prix team.
From 1923, Porsche was invited to join Daimler in Stuttgart as Technical Director, a position he held until 1929, after the merger with Benz, when his ideas for a car for the 1930s did not match those of the Daimler-Benz board.
In 1929, Porsche left Daimler-Benz and joined the much smaller, lower profile Steyr buiness in Graz, Austria.
His initial plans for a large luxury car, the 37/100 Austria with a straight eight engine, transverse leaf front suspension and swing axle based independent rear suspension, which was shown in 1929. The depression quickly killed this, and Austro-Daimler took a controlling interest in Steyr and the project was replaced by an Austro-Daimler one. Porsche started the design of the Steyr XXX (or Type 30) before he was laid off, and started his consultancy career.
The Steyr XXX (or Type 30) was smaller than many previous Steyr or Austro-Daimlers, though still considered a relatively up market product. It came with a 2078cc OHV straight six, driving the rear wheels through a four speed transmission.
The front suspension was leaf springs with a solid axle and the rear used a transverse leaf spring and a swing axle. Variations of the car were sold until 1939, latterly under the names Steyr 430, 530 and 630, gaining some power.
Bodywork offered included convertibles and limited quantities of luxury convertibles and cabriolets by external coachbuilders.
It was also the Austrian taxi of choice in the 1930s, with specific configurations being offered. In all, close to 6,000 cars were built between 1930 and 1939.
By this time, Ferdinand Porsche had of course started his consultancy business, formally known as Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Konstruktionen und Beratungen für Motoren und Fahrzeugbau. This business is the nucleus from which the modern Porsche has grown.
One customer was Alfa Romeo, for whom in 1934 Porsche designed a torsion bar suspension system for some 6C 2300 and 2900 models, and for which he was partly rewarded with two cars rather than Italian lira or Austrian schillings. The notes in the museum record that Ferdinand and his son Ferry enjoyed trips through the Alps in this car, a 1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara.
There is a lot of variation in the accounts of the provenance of this car, some suggesting it was given in payment, that it was owned by Ferry Porsche, and some saying it was given as a research aid for the work Porsche was doing. I’m tempted to go with the museum’s statement about payment, as it’s the family’s collection after all, but it is also plausible that there may have been other Alfas in and around Porsche GmbH at the time.
Of course, the most well known product of the Porsche consultancy was the VW Beetle, and the collection does not disappoint. Three Beetles, covering a good span of Type 1 evolution and a Type 2 for good luck.
There was an early 911 as well, but somehow I missed taking a photo. Probably drooling over the Alfa Romeo…….shakes head, seeks forgiveness.
In the lower level, there’s an extensive selection of Porsche Diesel tractors and also a large hall featuring Porsche’s aeronautical achievements, based around aero engine design. But you can’t cover everything at once, or do it justice on one trip.
The museum also offers the splendidly titled Oldtimer Ausfahrten – a chauffeured drive in an Austro-Daimler ADR Double Phaeton around the surrounding area. There are also a range of hands-on technology explainers and demonstrators, and a selection of racing simulators and a slot car racing experience.
Should I go back for more?
Space to dream about a journey or a drive. I do this all the time! It may be why we read CC at all.
“… from 1918 he was Czech, from 1935 he was a German citizen …”
As he joined Hitler’s party NSDAP in 1937 and received membership number 5,643,287.
Yes! It is a fabulous museum and always changing what is displayed. Don’t forget to have a good look at the Carrera GT….
Great post, Sir Roger. I didn’t know till this that Steyr was a brand of its own.
I do struggle with this stuff sometimes.
Louise Porsche, as you say, was most active in hiding VW assets from those who might claim them later, and this did indeed lay the bed upon which one of the richest families in Europe derives its 2025 wealth. Perhaps the active, enthusiastic Nazi lawyer she’d married realized the war wasn’t going to end well?
This isn’t a criticism of you, Roger, hell, of course it isn’t, but a sort-of sad expression of the dark, dark history of Porsche, and VW, and how it’s hard to avoid. Especially, acutely, because we are back in times where we’re seeing even world leaders cow-towing to that which they shouldn’t.
“… hiding VW assets from those who might claim them later, and this did indeed lay the bed upon which one of the richest families in Europe derives its 2025 wealth.”
For those interested in the details, I recommend this article:
https://www.kontextwochenzeitung.de/wirtschaft/373/porsche-piech-nazi-profite-5108.html
It’s written in German, but in this age of useful translation technology, that shouldn’t be a serious obstacle.
Roger, purely on the merits of the cars, this sounds like an interesting museum, and you’ve covered it well. I think you should go back, and next time take some photos of the “slot car racing experience”. That sounds really cool.
One thing that your photos make me curious about is how come many of the cars have placards or signs advertising the museum mounted on their doors, fenders, etc.? This seems incongruous with how most museums present their artifacts…but I wonder if these vehicles are often out of the museum and being driven around. If that were the case, then perhaps their carrying identification as coming from the Fahr(T)raum would make sense.
Porsche is often now reported to have been Austrian; he was certainly from the Austro-Hungarian Empire but not Austria;
At the time of his birth and up to 1918, Bohemia was part of the state of Austria, so he really was born an Austrian. One could not be “Austrian and Hungarian” as this was a dual monarchy; one was either a citizen of Austria or Hungary depending on which of the two countries one was born in; dual citizenship was not allowed. So he truly was born an Austrian.
Of course many borders changed after WWI and other wars; that’s the endless history of Europe until the post WW2 era. Porsche moved to Vienna quite early and after 1918 and Czechoslovakia was created he chose Czechoslovakian citizenship.
In the multi-ethnic state of Austria-Hungary, most people defined themselves (and others) not by nationality, but by ethnicity.
Thus: Austrian nationality, Czech ethnicity (or whatever).
This was probably a key reason why the dual monarchy there—or more precisely, the dual state there—did not survive.
Austria-Hungary wasn’t “a state”. It was two states that agreed to share a single monarch and certain joint functions, but one was either an Austrian or a Hungarian citizen.
Yes, there were of course many historic and ethnic elements that made up these states as so many others in Europe. I’m a Tirolian! Ask me how Tirolians often felt about the Viennese.
Wow quite a collection, nice, I had read some of that before but didnt realize all the connections the good doctor had, very clever guy.
So he was a Bohemian I didnt know that and near where I come from has a large Bohemian immigrant community and nobody in it ever mentioned the Dr as one of theirs and that community holds on to its roots and traditions, none of them was ever seen driving a VW, did they just edit him out due to his political connections?
Porsche, like other able engineers, had his fails, for example his Tiger prototype, which lost out to Henschel’s as its electric drive required too much copper. It did evolve into a formidable tank destroyer, though its debut at Kursk proved disappointing.
Ferdinand wasn’t alone on this, since the later US Army Ordinance T23 prototype, also with electric transmission, was rejected for similar reasons, and evolved into the Pershing tank, which saw action near War’s end.
Thank you Roger, great post. I’ll definitely look up this museum next time we’re in Austria. If you make it to Vienna, go to the Museum of Science and Technology. Among many other items, it features vehicles from Steyr, Puch, VW, and others. The largest steam locomotive manufactured in Austria is on display, as well as an impressive screen showing the steam power cycle.
The T1 bus is wearing non-stock slotted wheels. It’s a minor point but it always surprises me a bit (or not) that museums make mistakes like this or fail to rectify them after they acquire a vehicle.
VW and Steyr-Puch
Thank you for this review – I’ve never heard of this museum before, and it looks like a fascinating place. And I admit, I know very little of the Porsche family story, so I learned quite a bit here too.