Stoewer
Native name | Gebrüder Stoewer, Fabrik für Motorfahrzeugen |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacture of bicycles and invalid carriages Manufacture of machinery for textile, apparel and leather production manufacture of motor vehicles manufacture of other special-purpose machinery n.e.c. metal industry |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Founders |
|
| Fate | Dissolved when its factory was dismantled and equipment sent to the Soviet Union by the Red Army following World War II |
| Headquarters | , Germany |
Number of employees | 500 (1904)[1] |
Stoewer (German: [ˈʃtøː.vər]) was a German automobile manufacturer before World War II whose headquarters were in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).
History
The company was founded in 1858 by Bernhard Stoewer as a precision mechanical repair shop, after the local garrison had hired him to repair a sewing machine.[2] In the same year, production of sewing machines in Stettin began. By the time of their fiftieth anniversary in the year 1908, 75,000 sewing machines and 6,000,000 typewriters had already been produced.
In 1899, the ironworks was taken over by the sons, the Stoewer brothers, Emil (1873 – 1942) and Bernhard (1875 – 1937) founded the firm Gebrüder Stoewer, Fabrik für Motorfahrzeugen and started to produce automobiles. Their first car was the Großer Stoewer Motorwagen, with 6.5 PS (4.8 kW) and 17 km/h (11 mph) maximum speed. Stoewer was thus one of the pioneer carmakers in Germany.
In March 1906, the company Stoewer stopped producing chains and pedals for bicycles and used the factory hall to expand automobile production. With the freed-up 2000 square meters, they aimed to increase production from about 100 vehicles in 1905 to about 250 vehicles in 1906.[3]
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Factory plant Stoewer with employees
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Stoewer Sewing Machine from about 1912
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Stoewer Record Typewriter
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Stoewer Bicycle Greif
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Logo of Stoewer in 1939
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Vehicle data plate Stoewer (1904)
In late summer 1907, the company entered into a partnership with carmaker Deutsche Motorfahrzeugfabrik GmbH. Stoewer wanted to utilize their newly expanded factory by producing the Autognom. In return, the German Motor Vehicle Factory was to take on exclusive sales of Stoewer vehicles.[4]
In 1908 Stoewers constructed the Stoewer G4. This model was successful for them at the time – 1,070 cars were built. In 1910, Stoewer cars were also built under licence in France, by Mathis of Strasbourg. In 1916, the family-owned company was changed into a limited company under the name of Stoewer-Werke AG, vormals Gebrüder Stoewer.
In the mid-20s a new class of cars was introduced: the D-Types included D3, D9 and D10 with four-cylinder engines, as well as D5, D6 and D12 with six cylinders. Something special was the 1921 D7 with a proprietary six-cylinder aero engine with 120 PS (88 kW). Of the fifty "D10" made, the only survivor was located in Melbourne, Australia in original condition; it has since been brought to Germany.
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Stoewer Motordreirad (1899)
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Stoewer four-wheeled Motorcycle (1899)
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Stoewer electric phaeton (1899)
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Stoewer subsidy truck L 4 III (1909-1912)
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Stoewer Tractor Type 3 S 17 (1919-1926)
In 1928 the company started to build S8 and G14 models with eight-cylinder engines. In the early 1930s Stoewer produced its highlights: G15 Gigant, M12 Marschall and P20 Repräsentant, each with eight-cylinder engines, with 60 to 120 PS (44 to 88 kW) and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[5] The production of these cars had to be cancelled after 2,500 vehicles were produced due to worldwide economic troubles. In 1931, Stoewer constructed one of the first cars with front-wheel drive, the Stoewer V 5 with 25 PS (18 kW), 80 km/h (50 mph) maximum speed. The model named Greif Junior was built under the licence of Tatra.[6] Its successor V8 Greif was the last car made by Stoewer himself; class Arkona and Sedina were the last civilian cars produced by the company.
In 1936, the Stoewer factory developed the 'uniform light off-road car' (le.E.Pkw, leichter geländegängiger Einheits-PKW) for the German army, a versatile four-wheel drive car, the Stoewer R200[6] initially (until 1940) equipped with four-wheel steering. Due to capacity limitations, the cars also had to be produced by BMW-Factory Eisenach, as the BMW 325, and by Hanomag in Hanover as the Type 20 B.[6] Together the three manufacturers made a total of ca. 13,000 units, of which 2,000 were built by Stoewer.[7] Stoewer's founders were pushed out in the early 1930s for being too focussed on civilian cars, and control of the company fell to a Nazi-controlled supervisory board.[7] Stoewer AG was one of many German companies that exploited slave labour during World War II, maintaining their own camp for prisoners.[8] After World War II, the Red Army seized the remaining production facilities, dismantled the factory and sent the equipment to the Soviet Union, and the company ceased to exist.
Passenger car models
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Stoewer P4 (1905-1910)
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Stoewer P6
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Stoewer Type G4 (1907-1911)
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Stoewer LT 4 1910
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Delivery vehicle based on Stoewer D3 (1920-1923)
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Stoewer Sedina 1937-1940
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World War II Stoewer R200 (light off-road car, 1940–1943)
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Stoewer Arkona Limousine (1940)
| Type | Years Produced | Engine Type | Displacement | Power | Top Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoewer Motorcycle Four Wheels [9] | 1899 | Electric motor | N/A | 4.5 PS (3.3 kW) | 39 km/h (24 mph) |
| Stoewer electric phaeton | 46 km/h (29 mph) | ||||
| Stower Motorwagen 6½ HP | 1899-1902 | straight-2 | ? | 6.5 PS (4.8 kW) | 17 km/h (11 mph) |
| 10 PS | 1901–1902 | straight-2 | 1527 cc | 18 PS (13.2 kW) | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
| 8/14 PS | 1902–1905 | 14 PS (10.3 kW) | |||
| 20 PS | 1904–1905 | straight-4 | 7946 cc | 45 PS (33 kW) | 85 km/h (53 mph) |
| P4 (11/22 PS) | 1905–1910 | 3054 cc | 22 PS (16,2 kW) | 70 km/h (43 mph) | |
| P2 (9/12 PS) | 1906–1907 | straight-2 | 2281 cc | 16 PS (11,8 kW) | 55 km/h (34 mph) |
| P4-1 (24/36 PS) | 1906–1910 | straight-4 | 5880 cc | 40 PS (29 kW) | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| P6 (34/60 PS) | 1906–1911 | straight-6 | 8822 cc | 60 PS (44 kW) | 95 km/h (59 mph) |
| G4 (6/12 PS) | 1907–1911 | straight-4 | 1500 cc | 12 PS (8,8 kW) | 60 km/h (37 mph) |
| PK4 (11/20 PS) | 1909–1912 | 2544 cc | 20 PS (14,7 kW) | 70 km/h (43 mph) | |
| C1 (6/18 PS) | 1909–1915 | 1546 cc | 18 PS (13,2 kW) | ||
| B1 (6/16 PS) | 1910–1912 | 1556 cc | 16 PS (11,8 kW) | 65 km/h (40 mph) | |
| B6 (9/22 PS) | 1912–1914 | 4900 cc | 45 PS (33 kW) | 95 km/h (59 mph) | |
| C2 (10/28 PS) | 1913–1914 | 2412 cc | 28 PS (20,6 kW) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | |
| C5 (6/18 PS) | 1915–1919 | 1546 cc | 15 PS (11 kW) | 70 km/h (43 mph) | |
| D2 (6/18 PS) | 1919–1920 | 1593 cc | 18 PS (13,2 kW) | ||
| D6 (19/55 PS) | 1919–1921 | straight-6 | 4960 cc | 55 PS (40 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| D7 (42/120 PS) | 11160 cc | 120 PS (88 kW) | 160 km/h (99 mph) | ||
| D3 (8/24 PS) [10] | 1920–1923 | straight-4 | 2120 cc | 24 PS (17,6 kW) | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
| D5 (12/36 PS) | straight-6 | 3107 cc | 36 PS (26,5 kW) | 80 km/h (50 mph) | |
| D9 (8/32 PS) | 1923–1924 | straight-4 | 2290 cc | 32 PS (23,5 kW) | 90 km/h (56 mph) |
| D12 (12/45 PS) [11] | straight-6 | 3107 cc | 45 PS (33 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) | |
| D10 (10/50 PS) | 1924–1925 | straight-4 | 2580 cc | 50 PS (37 kW) | 120 km/h (75 mph) |
| D9V (9/32 PS) | 1925–1927 | 2290 cc | 32 PS (23,5 kW) | 90 km/h (56 mph) | |
| D12V (13/55 PS) | 1925–1928 | straight-6 | 3386 cc | 55 PS (40 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| F6 (6/30 PS) | 1927–1928 | straight-4 | 1570 cc | 30 PS (22 kW) | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
| 8 Typ S 8 (8/45 PS) | 1928 | straight-8 | 1999 cc | 45 PS (33 kW) | 85 km/h (53 mph) |
| 8 Typ G 14 (14/70 PS) | 3633 cc | 70 PS (51 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) | ||
| 8 Typ S 10 (10/50 PS) | 1928–1930 | 2464 cc | 50 PS (37 kW) | 90 km/h (56 mph) | |
| Gigant G 15 K (15/80 PS) | 1928–1933 | 3974 cc | 80 PS (59 kW) | 110 km/h (68 mph) | |
| Gigant G 15 (15/80 PS) | 80 PS (59 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) | |||
| Repräsentant P 20 (20/100 PS) | 1930–1933 | 4906 cc | 100 PS (74 kW) | 120 km/h (75 mph) | |
| Marschall M 12 (12/60 PS) | 1930–1934 | 2963 cc | 60 PS (44 kW) | 90 km/h (56 mph) | |
| V 5 | 1931–1932 | V4 | 1191 cc | 25 PS (18,4 kW) | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| V 5 Sport | 30 PS (22 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) | |||
| R 140 | 1932–1933 | straight-4 | 1355 cc | 30 PS (22 kW) | 85–105 km/h (53–65 mph) |
| R 140 | 1933–1934 | 1466 cc | 30 PS (22 kW) | ||
| R 150 | 1934–1935 | 35 PS (25,7 kW) | 90–110 km/h | ||
| Greif V8 | 1934–1937 | V8 | 2489 cc | 55 PS (40 kW) | 110 km/h (68 mph) |
| R 180 | 1935 | straight-4 | 1769 cc | 45 PS (33 kW) | 105 km/h (65 mph) |
| Greif V8 Sport | 1935–1937 | V8 | 2489 cc | 57 PS (42 kW) | 120 km/h (75 mph) |
| Greif Junior | 1936–1939 | flat-4 | 1484 cc | 34 PS (25 kW) | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| Sedina | 1937–1940 | straight-4 | 2406 cc | 55 PS (40 kW) | 110 km/h (68 mph) |
| Arkona | straight-6 | 3610 cc | 80 PS (59 kW) | 120–140 km/h (75–87 mph) |
See also
References
- ^ "Gebrüder Stoewer". Jahrbuch der Automobil- und Motorboot-Industrie. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ Feliński, Andrzej Wojciech (2022). "Das Militär als Geburtshelfer – die Stoewer-Story". In Lukasch, Bernd (ed.). Technikgeschichte in Pommern (in German). Stettin (Szczecin): Museum für Technik und Kommunikation – Kunstdepot in Stettin. p. 108. ISBN 978-83-92757658.
- ^ "Stoewer Production 1905". Österreichische Fahrrad- und Automobil-Zeitung. 10 March 1906. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Interessengemeischaft im Automobilismus". General-Anzeiger für Halle und den Saalkreis, 3. Beilage. 1907-09-27. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
- ^ Apral, K. "Stoewer 1930". www.classiccarcatalogue.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Odin, L.C. World in Motion 1939, The whole of the year's automobile production. Belvedere Publishing, 2015. ASIN: B00ZLN91ZG.
- ^ a b Feliński, Andrzej Wojciech (2022). "Wie die Gebrüder Stoewer in die Automobilgeschichte eingingen". In Lukasch, Bernd (ed.). Technikgeschichte in Pommern (in German). Stettin (Szczecin): Museum für Technik und Kommunikation – Kunstdepot in Stettin. p. 156. ISBN 978-83-92757658.
- ^ Pomorze Zachodnie na przełomie dwu epok, 1944-1946 Kazimierz Golczewski Wydawn. Poznańskie, p. 29, 1964.
- ^ "Stoewer Motorcycle Four Wheels". Dinglers polytechnisches journal Bd.314=Reihe7:Bd.14 (1899). 1899-11-04. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Stoewer D3". Aktiebolaget Nova. 1923-01-01. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
- ^ "Stoewer D12". Aktiebolaget Nova. 1923-01-01. Retrieved 2025-05-12.