Pannonia T5 and Duna sidecar

1973, 250cc twin-port, air-cooled Hungarian two-stroke outfit  

▲ Duna sidecar with space-age styling. Earlier Dunas (built by the Hungarian firm Vaci Hajogyar) were steel bodied, but aluminium was a necessity for skinning these lightweight/low power motorcycles rated variously at anything from 14 - 18hp. For tens of thousands of Eastern Europeans, these outfits represented quality, practical, everyday transport. Today, Pannonias and Dunas are viewed mostly as interesting curios of the Soviet era. However, build quality is reasonable, and is better than might be expected given the restrictions and limitations of the Eastern European market conditions and economy.

▲ Pannonia was a prolific firm that built a huge range of machines including cars and trucks. Most of the firm's motorcycles were a bewildering range of two-stroke singles, but the company also manufactured vertical twins and a boxer twin (flat/horizontal twin). There's a fairly large international group of Pannonia fans, many in the USA where Pannonia sold bikes branded as White. Parts are tricky to get and might involve the odd trip to a Hungarian, Polish or Russian autojumble to find the right contacts. But Pannonia experts are out there, and there's still a lot of stock to be unearthed.

Copyright Sump Publishing 2016

Between 1954 and 1975, Budapest-based Pannonia built over one million motorcycles.

Among the relatively few known survivors is this pretty Hungarian twin-port, two-stroke single. Magneto ignition provided the sparks for these 18hp all-purpose bikes (also rated at 14-15hp) that were often faced with sub-zero temperatures.

The telescopic front fork and swinging arm rear suspension offered a very decent ride for the age. The rocket/jet fighter-nosed aluminium bodied/steel framed sidecar gave a nod towards the burgeoning space era. And the Soviet Bloc nations were the prime users.

Pannonia owes its origins to the Hungarian engineering and automotive firm, Csepel, located on a large island in the Danube.

The company built trucks and cars and developed a healthy export market, largely to the USA where its bikes were badged as "White".

Racing was also on the agenda, and Csepel/Pannonia acquitted itself against rivals Jawa and CZ, and often had a crack at western brands.

Much of the styling was inspired by Italian bikes, but German engineering cues and technology are also apparent. Nevertheless, the designers at Pannonia added their own flair to these motorcycles that are becoming an increasingly common sight as restorers worldwide rediscover and reintroduce a largely forgotten marque.

Bonhams is auctioning this example in Las Vegas, Nevada USA on 26th January 2017.  www.bonhams.com

UPDATE: The Pannonia outfit sold for $4,600 (£3,553) including premium.