16 February 2023
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Austrian Post is honouring the country’s track record in motor innovation with three new commemorative stamps.
Even though Austria is a very small country, it has always been synonymous with inventiveness, innovation, and high technical expertise.
No fewer than 23 Nobel Prize winners worked in Austria, ten of them in physics or chemistry. This has arguably boosted the development of engines and ultimately mobility, which has become a key concept of our time. Austrian Post is honouring this with three new extraordinary commemorative stamps – all of which are available directly in the online shop.
Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche is well known as a pioneer of automotive technology who gave his name to a famous brand.
But Ferdinand Porsche also explored areas beyond traditional combustion technology (as used in the iconic Porsche models), namely electric engines! A patent for a wheel hub motor, registered as early as 1896, laid the groundwork for the 1899 ‘System Lohner-Porsche’ prototype developed with Ludwig Lohner, an electric car with a range of around 50 kilometres.
Subsequent improvements included an all-wheel hub drive and more powerful batteries, which eventually led to the development of hybrid concepts, notably the ‘Semper Vivus’, the world’s first functioning full hybrid car.The ‘Semper Vivus was too expensive for serial production, but it was the main building block for the technology in modern hybrid cars.
To commemorate Ferdinand Porsche and his ground-breaking innovations in the field of electric vehicles, Austrian Post has issued a commemorative stamp in the "Inventions" series.
KTM
Another name inextricably linked with the innovative power and quality standards of Austrian engine technology is KTM. The headquarters of the company, which was founded in 1934, is still in Mattighofen, and the international group, which is now worth billions, has never for-gotten its roots.
Originally, KTM worked exclusively in the two-wheeler business. The R100 was one of the most successful post-war motorbikes, and this machine is now being honoured with a new commemorative stamp in the ‘Motorcycles’ series.
Later, KTM made a name for itself with high-performance cross bikes, scooters and mopeds. In 2008, the new super sports racer KTM X-BOW was launched: an open-wheel racer designed for two people, making it a real novelty.
The X-BOW, which has been continuously improved over several generations, is still popular, and used in racing in its own class – and has now been immortalised by Austrian Post on the commemorative stamp ‘KTM X-BOW GTX 2020’ in the ‘Cars’ series.
