The Gigant — a viennese vintage motorcycle
This year’s commemorative stamp from the series "Motorcycles" shows the model b00 OHV from 7938, made by the little-known Viennese company Gigant - one of the few surviving models of this manufacturer.
In 1931, brothers Johann and Rudolf Teichert founded an automotive workshop in Vienna. Five years later, they started building their first motorcycle, named Gigant. They produced the frames, forks and brakes in premium quality in their own workshop, other components such as the tank, rims and mudguards came from Viennese suppliers. The engines were imported from England. The Gigant was available in two versions: a side-steered 750cc machine with a V2 engine, and the single-cylinder 600 OHV model shown here. The trademark of the Gigant machines is the rather unusual light and dark green paint scheme, which can also be seen in this commemorative stamp.
Already in 1938, the production of the Gigant motorcycles was stopped again, as the approaching war prevented further production. Today, there are only very few examples left, so the Gigant machines are real Viennese rarities. The model pictured is from a collector in Upper Austria.
The new commemorative stamp "Gigant 600" with a face value of EUR 1.35 will be issued 360,000 times in sheets of 50 and will be available from 28 May at all post offices, at post.at/onlineshop and from Österreichische Post AG's Collector Service.
