Rare Puch SGS 250 available through Shannons online auction
Shannons second online-only auction for 2020 – the Winter Timed Online Auction – is underway and there are some rare and collectable motorcycles amongst the 149 lots on offer.
Qualifying as both rare and collectable is a 1954 Puch SGS 250cc 'Super Sports'.
The Puch brand name may not be that familiar to Australians, but it has a history going back more than a century. Like most early motorcycle manufacturers, Puch started producing bicycles before moving up to powered machines, but they never seemed to enjoy the same level of success – or recognition - of other European marques like BMW, Husqvarna, DKW and the Italian brands.
Following a merger with Austro-Daimler in 1925 Puch was rebranded as Steyr-Daimler-Puch in 1934. Part of Nazi Germany’s arms industry in the lead up to and during World War II, Puch returned to motorcycle manufacture after the war, and while the brand was successful within Europe, it’s largely unknown outside it.
The exception was Puch’s enduro and motocross models, which brought much success to the brand in the 1970s, including numerous ISDT gold medals and peaking with the 1975 FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship, achieved by Harry Everts (father of Stefan) on a factory ‘MC250 Twin Carb’.
The innovation in the championship-winning MC250 was reflected in Puch’s roadgoing models, too, including the SGS 250.
Debuting in 1953, the SGS 250 featured a “split single” two-stroke engine that ran two pistons within a single combustion chamber. This engine technology was first developed by Puch in the 1920s and continued after the war in varying capacities – all two-strokes – from 125cc to 250cc like the unit offered in Shannons’ 19-26 August online sale.
While the engine was innovative, the rest of the Puch SGS 250 was mostly conventional, with a pressed steel frame, tele fork front end and twin-shock swingarm rear. The fully-enclosed chain was something of an oddity, but not unique to Puch at the time.
The Super Sports variant took the SGS platform and added a special alloy barrel, close-ratio gearbox, Smith’s speedometers and twin Burgess straight-through silencers.
While popular in Europe and available via mail order in the US under the ‘Allstate’ brand, the SGS 250 is rare in Australia, as is any Puch. Despite more than 38,000 SGS 250’s being produced, very few were sold here when new.
The unit on offer at the Winter Timed Online Auction is believed to be one of the few Australian-delivered models and has been restored by a previous owner.
Most recently ridden on the Vintage Club Rally at Bathurst in March, 2018, the bike has covered only 700 miles since restoration and comes to auction with a history file, manuals, spare parts catalogues and related material. A genuine ISDT centre stand has been fitted, too.
Offered unregistered and with No Reserve, the Puch is located in Sydney and carries a guiding range of $7,000-$10,000.
The Puch SGS 250 Super Sport is one of 149 lots in the 2020 Winter Timed Online Auction, which covers automobiles, commercial vehicles, petroliana, garagenalia, collectables and heritage number plates, as well as motorcycles.
Other bikes in this auction include a trio of Norton Commandos (led by a rare 1974 ‘John Player Norton’ limited-edition), a 1970 Triumph T120R Bonneville, 1958 Ariel VH Red Hunter 500, 1935 Panther Model 100, 1930 Sunbeam Model 9, 1929 BSA S-209 500, 1969 Ducati Mk3 250 and 1985 Ducati 900 S2, plus a rare Australian-made 1912 Peerless.
Bidding for all lots closes on Wednesday, 26 August at 8:11PM AEST.
For more details on Shannons 2020 Winter Timed Online Auction, go to: https://www.shannons.com.au/
