In 1923 the Italian engineer and FIAT agent Giovanni Marcellino is said to have been sent by the banks to wind up the Puch factory in Graz.

However, again in 1919, the new Type XII Alpenwagen was developed. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire following the War, the market for automobiles shrank and production was discontinued. Motorcycle Puch 500 VL with sidecar Felber, built 1937

The Puch green and white chequered badge is in the colours of the Steyr town flag and is very similar in concept to the BMW badge, which is in the colours of the Bavarian flag. During World War I, Puch became an important vehicle supplier to the Austro-Hungarian Army. Puch automobiles were successful at the pre-war Österreichische Alpenfahrt rally and from 1913, the four-cylinder 38 PS (horsepower) Type VIII Alpenwagen was manufactured in Graz. In that year the company employed about 1,100 workers and produced 16,000 bicycles and over 300 motorcycles and cars annually. In 1912 Johann Puch went into retirement and became the company's honorary president. In 1910, Puch is known to have produced sedans for members of the Habsburg imperial family. In 1906 the production of the two-cylinder Puch Voiturette began and in 1909 a Puch car broke the world high-speed record with 130.4 km/h. Production of engines was started in 1901 and cars followed in 1904. The ad says “True mileage is unknown,” but it does appear this machine hasn’t been thrashed as soundly as man y of these older step-throughs were.The main production plant, later called Einser-Werk, was constructed in the south of Graz, in the district of Puntigam. It’s clean, and the odometer reading is a super-low 900 miles, including 100 miles or so added by the current owner. This particular example is located in California, and is being sold with no reserve (bidding’s pretty low right now, too). Either way, t his Puch is hardly a common sight in North America to start with, and it’s not like they’re making them anymore. They were disposable when built, and most of them lived hard lives hammering up and down cobblestone streets and hauling loads of high-schoolers off to makeout locations. Now, electric scooters seem to be the way forward, although the OEMs are certainly dragging their feet on this.īecause of those regulations, two-stroke mopeds like this will probably become somewhat collectible in the future.

First, emissions regulations meant four-stroke scooters took over (much less power, but not as smelly). These days, two-strokes are largely a thing of the past. This Little Yamaha HS1 Is Gorgeous And The Price Is Right

Classic puch moped