Rába (automobile)

This article is about the automobiles manufactured by Rába. For Rába Automotive Holding Plc., see Rába (company).

The Rába was a Hungarian automobile manufactured from 1912 to 1914. Rába automobile was a subsidiary of the Rába (company) in Győr. Due to the imminent outbreak of a world war, the production of the Alfa never actually commenced. However, the two additional models were manufactured in series under the registered Rába brand at the Győr Chamber of Commerce and Industry on June 1, 1913. The Grand chassis, equipped with a four-cylinder, 35-46 horsepower engine, predominantly received bodies for medical transport, command purposes, and other military functions, except for a few exceptional luxury bodies. The trucks, with a carrying capacity of three or five tons with trailers, were primarily produced for the army throughout the war. Additionally, based on the Praga license, they also manufactured engines and 15 horsepower small tractors for agricultural purposes. In addition to the war vehicles, in 1918, they produced a luxury-bodied Grand car for the personal use of King Charles IV. (In addition to Rába, other automobile factories in the monarchy, such as Austro Fiat and Graf & Stift, received similar commissions from the court to produce such vehicles).

In the years following the First World War, production at the Győr Wagon Factory declined significantly due to a lack of orders. In the early twenties, three previously manufactured car models were included in the production program: the Grand passenger car and the V-series truck produced under license, as well as the P-type, which was originally designed for postal purposes by Csonka János but never realized due to the First World War. Among these three models, the V-type was produced in the largest numbers, with nearly 500 units being produced with various body types until 1927. The modernized Grand model remained in production until 1925, and in 1923, a Grand car won a silver medal in the Austro-Hungarian Tour.

In late 1927, Rába signed a licensing agreement with the German Krupp factory, followed by Austro-Fiat in the spring of 1928. The Austro-Fiats, designated with letters k, e, p, and a, as well as the Krupps with designations L 3.6 H, L 3 N, L 3.5 N, L 3 H, and L 5 N, were produced in various tonnages ranging from 1.5 to 5 tons with different cargo and bus bodies.

As a consequence of the economic crisis, in 1935, Rimamurány-Salgótarjáni Ironworks Co. (RIMA) merged with the Hungarian Wagon and Machine Factory. The car manufacturing division's body workshop was expanded at R A product of the Rába company in the city of Győr, the engine of the car was the 4.2-liter 58 hp (44 kW) Praga "Grand". The car was built in limited numbers, under the Praga license. Raba also produced cars of other licences, including Benz, Panhard, and Austro-Daimler. It exists to date as a manufacturer of trucks. The steward's office ordered a special RÁBA Grand for the personal use of Emperor Charles I of Austria. It was manufacturer of agricultural vehicles, like the Rába tractors.

Automobiles of the Hungarian Rába Company, 1st: "Rába Alpha" sport car in 1914, 2nd: Rába Grand car from 1913, 3rd: Rába V truck from 1913

Raba grand in 1913

References

• Burgess-Wise, David and Lance Cole (2000). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles. Book Sales. ISBN 0-7858-1106-0.