VEHICLE EXHIBITION 2026: AVIS TYPE 3

The AVIS dates back to a brief, now almost forgotten period in Austrian motoring history. The AVIS factory in Brunn am Gebirge produced passenger cars, sports cars, taxis and delivery vans and was also the site of the first new aircraft factory set up by the recently formed Austrian Republic.

The Type 3 succeeded the virtually identical Type 2 in 1925. As the differences were minimal, both designations are still frequently used interchangeably. Its 20 hp output may seem modest, but the compact car’s light weight and simple design made it suitable even for hills, poor roads and unpaved tracks.

On 19th January 1926, an Austrian factory team set out from Vienna to compete in the Monte Carlo Rally under Austria’s red-white-red flag for the very first time. The small production car from the AVIS factory stuck to its planned schedule for long stretches at a time as it tackled a route that no other competitor had to even think about attempting.

The journey came to an end at the Italian border, as snowdrifts towering up metres high and a lack of snow-clearing equipment made it impossible to continue. The AVIS was not stopped by a technical fault but by ‘force majeure’, and the reception committee in Monaco were disappointed that the Austrian car never managed to reach them.

The old, original dashboard of the restored AVIS had only one instrument, namely a speedometer, so for the long trip to Monaco, sensors have had to be fitted to monitor various parameters, including engine rpm and oil temperature. This equipment was installed to provide vital operating data but in a manner that could easily be reversed so that the vehicle’s historic character would not be changed by the addition of more permanent, modern modifications – a prudent use of modern accessories respecting vintage character.

The vehicle that survives today is sometimes referred to as being the very same AVIS that set off for the Monte Carlo Rally in 1926. However, so far, no official, direct links via chassis number, factory records or documented ownership history to confirm this have come to light. What is certain, though, is that the car on display comes from the same model series and is identical in construction to the rally car of that period.

Let us be clear then that we are not talking about the return of a competition car that has undeniably been identified as such but about the reappearance of an Austrian car brand that had almost completely vanished. Nor are the Type 2 and Type 3 designations always easily distinguishable, as they were frequently mixed up even in historical accounts. The designation ‘AVIS Type 2/3’ is therefore the most accurate for this restored vehicle.