Austro-Daimler Sascha
The Austro-Daimler Sascha (also called Sascha or Sascha Porsche) is a car from 1922. It was designed by the German automaker Ferdinand Porsche.
In that period, Porsche still worked for the Austrian Austro-Daimler and designed a small, lightweight sports car of 1100 cc that was revolutionary for its time. He had a cylinder engine with overhead valves and a bevel-driven overhead camshaft, like the later Fuhrmann engine in some Porsche 356 Carrera models. The car was named by Ferdinand Porsche after Sascha Kolowrat-Krakowsky, a friend who had encouraged him greatly to build a small, lightweight sports car.
The engine of the Sascha had a capacity of 1100 cc and produced 50 horsepower, which was quite a lot for that time. The car achieved a top speed of 144 km/h. For racing, the fender and spotlight could be removed. For the Targa Florio race of 1922, three Saschas were sent to Sicily. They came first and second in the 1100 cc-class with an average speed of 54 kilometres per hour (34 mph) over a distance of 432 kilometres (268 mi), with very bad roads and a few slopes of 12.5%.
By comparison, the overall winner of the Targa Florio in 1922 graduated in a Mercedes at an average of 63 km/h while the car was equipped with a much heavier engine.
Sources
- Wood, J (1997). Porsche:The Legend. Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-2072-5.