Little-Known German Project – 1936 Presto Werke Type 208

Post Sale Update: Ed S one-upped himself and bought the Presto himself for $1,100! Check it out in his office in the comments.

Update: 5 months later, reader Ed S notes that this Presto is back up for sale. The asking price has plummeted from $25,000 to $2,400 – you can find it here on Craigslist in Boulder, Colorado.

Presto Werke (or Presto-Werke Günther & Co) may be one of the biggest and most influential manufacturers you’ve probably never heard of. Founded in 1897, the German company produced bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, and trucks, closing its doors in the late 1950’s after failing to bounce back from WW2. The company was based out of Chemnitz for most of its existence, which at the time was a major hub for automotive and mechanical production. A then-25-year-old Georg Günther had dabbled in the production business but in 1896 the man – who would later be consider a major pioneer in the German auto biz – moved to Tharandt where he would start his company, not realizing his bicycle company would be churning out cars less than a decade later.

Günther experienced great success in the business’s first couple years of operation, leading the ambitious young entrepreneur to start laying out plans for expansion in terms of offerings and scale. Before the turn of the century, construction would begin on Presto Werke’s Chemnitz factory. The company had been primarily building bicycles but in 1901 it would release its first production automobiles and motorcycles, borrowing various existing components from other established manufacturers. Early Presto scoots were powered by engines sourced from the Belgian company, Minerva, and the Swiss manufacturer, Zedel. Engines from the French Buchet were also supposedly utilized by Presto Werke.

In 1908 Günther – who was a fan of motorsport – had a few racers produced for competition that supposedly were fairly successful. Günther participated in the ritzy Prinz (Prince) Heinrich Rally/Ride/Journeys in 1908 and 1910 with “moderate success”.

Continued success led to greater aspirations for Günther who wanted to start producing his own powerplants, an endeavor that is anything but cheap. In order to make it happen, Günther turned Presto Werke into an “Aktiengesellschaft”, or “joint-stock company”, enabling him to possess the capital this plan necessitated. This new operation required additional facilities in Chemnitz so plans were drawn up and ground was broken in 1909 and on New Year’s Day of 1911, the new facilities opened its doors. The company continued to grow, though as it did that meant Günther was surrounded by more and more suits who didn’t share his passion for the vehicles he was building.

Economic strife combined with Günther’s racing ambitions would result in conflicts between the founder and the rest of the higher-ups, leading to Günther’s departure from his own company that was already somewhat of an empire. Günther would take his earnings from Presto and go on to start other companies, while the new powers that be expanded rapidly, creating several new models of car and trucks – including commercial and utility vehicles – and a markedly wider array of bicycles which the company were selling like hotcakes. Starting in 1919, several thousands units of Presto Werke’s Type 9/30 automobiles were sold and the four-wheeler would become one of the earlier models that would catalyst Germany’s (admittedly well-deserved/earned) reputation for producing high-quality, reliable cars.

The 1927 Six-Cylinder Presto Werke Type G Tourer

The company continued to build motorcycles, but the cars are what would start seeing a myriad of advancements in the decade following the 9-30. One of those advancements would come in 1927 when Presto debuted new “Sechszylinder” (six-cylinder) engines that featured an aluminum connecting rod and new engine suspension. These motors – which made 50 and 55hp – were powering the elegant 1927 and ’28 Type G four-wheeler (technically six) tourer. Everything was roses for Presto…until it seriously wasn’t. Metal workers in Chemnitz went on a long strike and some of Presto’s trick cutting-edge features led to a massive recall that cost the company a lot of Reichsmarks and its stellar reputation.

Customers being pissed-off obviously hurt Presto’s sales, and then the economy began to tank. Not unlike the States, Germany was rocked by a Great Depression. Things had improved somewhat from the middle until the end of the ’20’s, but ultimately the Weimar Republic was unable to get the nation’s financial situation back on track following the war. Said War also didn’t help too much with sales as much of Presto’s business was selling to neighboring European countries. The company’s production lines were broken down and shipped to Berlin, and then an additional factory was opened in Braunschweig in north-central Germany. At this point Presto reigned things in and put motorized vehicle production on a hiatus, only making bicycles.

In 1930, Presto would start producing small-displacement scoots that were powered via 74cc engines from the German Fichtel & Sachs, later called Mannesmann Sachs, before changing its name to just Sachs, which is probably the name anyone reading this knows them by. I believe this Sachs-powered model was the 1930 Type 200, though I couldn’t confirm this. Presto – which is Italian for “Soon” – managed to sell a substantial amount of of these motorized bicycles, adding additional models in the years that followed, including 98cc and ILO engines, both of which featured a kickstarter. The company then separated into two distinct sections though under the same leader/ownership, with one sect producing bicycles and light motorcycles and the other building wares for the military such as chains and transmissions.

By the mid-40s, the company was almost exclusively producing components for the military. You may have heard about how that military effort worked out for Germany. Soviet forces occupied much of the country following WW2, including Chemnitz. The remaining employees at Preso tried to restart a smaller – strictly bicycle – operation, utilizing existing materials, knowledge, and experience they possessed. The 1949 Spring exhibition would be the last time the original Presto company would unveil a new product. By 1950 Presto’s locations in Chemnitz, Berlin, and Braunschweig would be shut down, with the Berlin HQ eventually becoming the property of the USSR.

Some of the former higher-ups (including Ernst-August Klemm who was Presto’s former director) tried to start things back up but to no avail. The Presto logo and pre-war production trademarks were seemingly used by other people. Information is unavailable about where these final 1950’s machines were built or who built them, but several light scoots were produced from ’54 to ’56. These bikes were sold in Denmark after being imported by Bill & Brokholm, a successful importer of the era. The new light-moto models came in the form of the type 55 RH with Rex motor and 55 H and 55 D with BFC motor are known. It’s also unclear as to whether these models utilized power-plants from the German Rex Motorcycles, or the older Swedish Rex Motorcycles. Cars were also sold under the name Presto-Delahaye.

All in all the company had an interesting history that undeniably would lay some of the foundation for an industry that would come to thrive in a post WW2 Germany even until today. The spirit of top-shelf German engineering was very much helped along by Presto Werke, which could have had a very different story had it not faced a handful of set-backs that were largely out of its own control, such as the shoddy economy and two World Wars. Nonetheless, the marque played an important role in automotive history. Examples of motorized Presto Werke offerings are extremely rare, though in places like Amsterdam, the used bicycle market still has Presto bikes and frames occasionally pop up. Though the company’s name has become increasingly less known over time, the manufacturer started by a 25-year-old Georg Günther produced some beautiful machines.

While this example that is currently for sale has obviously seen much better days, it is still a legitimate original Presto Werke example. According to the seller, he was helping an old widow clean out her basement after her late husband’s passing and he came across a Presto example that the husband had planned on restoring. He did however break it down and and put various parts – including what is said to be the complete engine – in a bucket of oil. The seller claims that in restored condition, this example is “ probably worth close to six-figures.” The seller also lists this example as being a 50cc 1905 example, though from my research I think it is actually a 1936 Type 208 or 210.

The 1936 Presto Werke Type 208 Light Motorcycle, which is what I think this example is.

Information online about Presto Werke is somewhat limited (and a lot in German) so filling in all the gaps is a bit tricky, but Presto produced motorcycles for over half-a-century and I think it is worth hearing about. The price – something I typically refrain from commenting on – seems admittedly steep on this example, however examples are insanely rare. There was another Presto motorcycle company out of Chicago that was made slightly famous by George McFarland – aka Spanky from the Little Rascals – who starred in advertisements for the company’s “Speed-O-Byke” from 1932. Have you ever heard of Presto Werke? Know anything about the marque? If so sound off in the comments.