Reichenberger automobile factory

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Reichenberger Automobile Factory (RAF)
legal form GmbH
founding 1907
Reason for dissolution Merger with Laurin & Klement
Seat Rosenthal near Reichenberg , Austria-Hungary
management
  • Theodor Freiherr von Liebieg
  • Oscar von Klinger
  • Alfred Ginskey
Branch Automobile manufacturer

RAF from 1907

The Reichenberger Automobil Fabrik (RAF) was a vehicle manufacturer from Austria-Hungary .

Company history

The textile manufacturer and racing driver Theodor Freiherr von Liebieg, a grandson of Johann Liebieg , founded the company in June 1907 together with Oscar von Klinger and Alfred Ginskey in Rosenthal near Reichenberg .

One of the first RAF cars was the Model T with a 4.5 liter four-cylinder engine and 30 hp. It already had a four-wheel brake and was presented at the Prague Motor Show in 1908. This car was given expensive bodies. There was also a version with a two-cylinder engine .

This was followed in 1910 by the H 10 model, also with a four-cylinder engine, but with a displacement of 5.3 liters and 45 hp. This vehicle was equipped with four independent brakes - two foot brakes, which served as gear and rear brakes, a normal handbrake and the mountain support that was common at the time . The top speed was 90 km / h.

At the same time the FW 25 was built, a 3.05 liter delivery van. The 14/18 followed in 1910. In this vehicle, the engine, clutch and transmission were mounted on a subframe that could be removed from the chassis very quickly for repair work.

The C 25 with 5.7 liter displacement and the 28/32 with 3.5 liter engine were developed under the leadership of the then well-known designer Paul Henze. Both were very expensive cars. Since these cars could only be sold in small numbers, the Hansa 6/14 PS and the Hansa 10/22 PS were manufactured under license by the Vareler Hansa-Werke .

Since 1908 there has also been a 4.5 liter truck. In this vehicle, the engine was installed under the driver's seat.

RAF also had a licensing agreement with the Daimler Motor Company in Coventry to build the Knight engines with valve control . In 1912 the LK 1 was built with a Knight engine and an output of 35 hp. Knight engines were also supplied to Puch in Graz by RAF .

When the decline of the RAF company became apparent in 1912, it merged with Laurin & Klement in the same year . RAF existed until the outbreak of the First World War and during this time two new models were developed with the 18/50 HP and the 13/40 HP, both with Knight engines. Many of Laurin & Klement's designs were based on earlier RAF designs.

photos

  • RAF (around 1907)

  • RAF with Armbruster body built in 1913

  • RAF with Armbruster body built in 1913

  • RAF Knight engine built in 1913

literature

Web links

Commons : Reichenberger Automobil Fabrik  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ GTÜ Society for Technical Monitoring
  2. ↑ Notes on Liebieg
  3. ↑ Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .