Steib Model S 500 Side car

Description

Steib Metallbau was a Nuremberg (Germany) company founded in 1914 by Josef Steib Senior, to make saddles for horses, bicycles, and motorcycles in his home workshop. Two years later he added an automotive bodyshop and painting business and began selling used cars in the early 1920s. In 1925, following a commission from the motorcycle manufacturer Ardie, Steib expanded his workshops and began manufacturing sidecars. In the 1930s Steib purchased Stoppa, a small Essen based sidecar manufacturing firm. Steib Metallbau reached its peak in the early 1950s, by now under the management of Josef’s son Josef Jnr, when it was estimated to be manufacturing 92 per cent of all sidecars sold in Germany, helped by the fact that its sidecars were the standard model offered with BMW motorcycles. The company was producing 50 units per day at this point. Its product range included a variety of designs such as the LS200 for motorcycles up to 200cc, the LS350 for motorcycles of 250cc to 350cc, and the S500L and TR-500 for motorcycles above 500cc. The company closed in 1957, however replica outfits remain in production in Japan today.