Day of issue of the commemorative stamp in the Austrian motorcycles & scooters series, LOHNER L98 "CAMEL" Idyllic winter scene

The L98 motor scooter was a popular vehicle in the 1950s, affordable and perfectly aligned with the spirit of the times. The stamp from the "Motorcycles" series features a model from 1951. The Lohner Works were founded in 1821 by Heinrich Lohner as a coachbuilding business and continued by the Lohner family. Among other developments, Ludwig Lohner, together with Ferdinand Porsche, created the Lohner-Porsche electric automobile and the Mixte with a hybrid engine. In 1970, the company was acquired by the Bombardier corporation. An attempt to revive the Lohner brand in 2010 was abandoned in 2022.

In the period of reconstruction after the Second World War, the demand for affordable transportation increased, marking the golden age of two-wheelers. The Lohner scooters with their classic design soon achieved cult status. Its distinguishing feature was the self-supporting chassis, and the scooters were almost exclusively powered by Sachs engines from Rotax. The Lohner L98 (L for Lohner, 98 for the cylinder capacity) designed by Otto Kauba, was the first Austrian motor scooter and in 1950 initiated a whole series of legendary Lohner scooters.

The single-seater L98, which could be retrofitted with a second seat, was equipped with a single-cylinder two-stroke engine with 2.25 horsepower for speeds of up to 54 km/h. Due to its distinctive "hump" as a luggage compartment, it soon earned the nickname "Camel". Just under 2,000 units of the L98 were built, and by 1952 there was an improved model without the "hump", the L98T. Further more powerful models followed until the scooter boom gradually faded in the 1960s.

Day of issue of the commemorative stamp Austrian motorcycles & scooters LOHNER L98 "CAMEL"

When? 
17 January 2024, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., presentation at 10:00 a.m.

Where? 
Federation of Austrian Philately Associations, Getreidemarkt 1, 1060 Vienna

Group picture, left to right:
Helmut Kogler (President, Federation of Austrian Philately Associations), David Gruber (stamp designer), Kornelia Hochreiter (Philately POS East)

Pictures: © Theograf Mannsbart