OT: Test report of a Haflinger in a Spanish magazine...

Guys I trust that you are as nuts as I am to read this. This is the proof of a historic rarity, the test report in the best-selling car magazine of the only Steyr-Puch Haflinger ever oficially imported into Spain. In 1973, Spain was a ruled by a very inward political regime: that of General Franco. This meant economic autarchy and thus, very few automobile import licences were then granted.

It just happens that in 1970 Steyr-Puch bought a motorbike/moped factory in Northen Spain, Avelló SA, which hitherto had been engaged in assembling Italian MV Agustas for the domestic market. SP then started manufacturing Puch mopeds and small cross-country motorcycles. In 1973 Avelló was granted a licence to import a Steyr-Puch Haflinger AP700 for evaluation purposes to assess whether it would make sense to licence-build it in Spain. This unit was then lent to the biggest-selling car magazine of the time to test-drive it.

Later, it found its way into the hands of a small-scale building contractor in the town of Pozuelo de Alarcón near Madrid, the place where I spent most of my youth -between 1976 and 1992- and where I recall having seen it in action, with its unmistakeable buzz produced by the forced induction air of its engine cooling. Unfortunately, with the passage of time I lost track of this Hafi so that today I don't know whether it exists and where it is.

Anyway, a friend took pity of my fanaticism for all things Steyr-Puch and sent me an original of the said magazine. This is a scan for your enjoyment.

Cheers!