Ralf-Stetysz () was the

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of one of the earliest Polish

car manufacturer The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by ...

s begun in France and transferred to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in the 1920s. It was formed in 1924, when Count

Stefan Tyszkiewicz Stefan Eugeniusz Tyszkiewicz, in Polish, Stefan Eugeniusz Maria Tyszkiewicz-Łohojski z Landwarowa, Leliwa coat of arms, (born 24 November 1894 in Warsaw, died 6 February 1976 in London) was a member of the Polish nobility, landowner, engineer, ...

, an inventor and mechanical engineer, started a small automotive firm "Automobiles Ralf Stetysz" in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The name was an acronym in Polish of the name "Rolniczo Automobilowo-Lotnicza Fabryka Stefana Tyszkiewicza" - "Agricultural-Automobile-Aero Factory of Stefan Tyszkiewicz"). Tyszkiewicz designed several prototypes, drawing heavily on contemporary French car designs, but better suited for the dismal Polish roads of the time. A single prototype was completed, with a strengthened suspension, a

locking differential A locking differential is a mechanical component, commonly used in vehicles, designed to overcome the chief limitation of a standard open Differential (mechanical device), differential by essentially "locking" both wheels on an axle together as ...

and a powerful

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

engine. It was presented at the 1926 and 1927

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show () is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de V ...

, where it received positive reviews as a good "colonial car". The prototype proved interesting and in 1927 Tyszkiewicz was able to secure cooperation with the Warsaw-based K. Rudzki i S-ka company to start serial production, under the Stetysz brand. The company produced all the mechanical parts and assembled the vehicles while the bodywork was manufactured by

Plage i Laśkiewicz Plage i Laśkiewicz (Plage & Laśkiewicz) was the first Polish aerospace manufacturer, located in Lublin and manufacturing aircraft under Lublin name. Full name was: ''Zakłady Mechaniczne E. Plage i T. Laśkiewicz'' – Mechanical Works E. Plag ...

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

, the aeronautical company. Eventually, Ralf-Stetysz launched two models for the 1929 model year, both available in several configurations: * Stetysz TA, with a 4-cylinder Continental engine of 1500 ccm displacement * Stetysz TC, with a 6-cylinder Continental engine of 2760 ccm The initial batch of roughly 200 cars of both models proved durable, and their sales looked promising. The cars were featured at the

Poznań International Fair The Poznań International Fair (PIF, ) is the biggest industrial fair in Poland. It is held on the Poznań fairground in Poland. Poznań International Fair is located in the centre of the city opposite the main railway station – Poznań Głów ...

and marketed as "the first Polish-made car" and as a vehicle "ideal for bad roads".http://polskie-auta.pl/stara/ralf.htm Zdjęcia samochodów Ralf-Stetysz - Photographs of Stetysz cars. The car took part in numerous rallies, including the 1929

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. From its inception in 1911 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert I, the rally ...

where it initially fared very well, arriving in Paris first. However, near

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, the co-driver was taken ill and had to be admitted to hospital, which cost so much time that the car was obliged to drop out of the race. On 11 February 1929 the Stetysz Warsaw factory was completely gutted by fire, along with a number of already completed vehicles awaiting delivery. Tyszkiewicz wanted to rebuild the factory, but the move was blocked by shareholders of K. Rudzki & S-ka, a firm specialising primarily in bridge construction. Eventually, Stefan Tyszkiewicz resigned himself to discontinue his own brand and focused instead on importing and producing, under licence,

FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and Mercedes models.

References

Bibliography

* http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k605534p.texte Report on the car in the Paris daily, 'Le Petit Parisien'. * "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1927 (salon aris, Oct1926). Paris: Histoire & collections. Nr. 78s: Page 57. 2006. {{commons category Cars of Poland Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1924 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1929 1924 establishments in Poland 1929 disestablishments in Poland Defunct manufacturing companies of Poland Cars introduced in 1924