Motorbike stories: benelli and mv agusta

Good morning, Misses! Today, we continue with a bit of history. I went searching for curiosities about various motorcycle brands (here I talked about the Japanese ones), and today, I’m focusing on our beloved Italian brands. There’s a lot to tell, so one episode won’t be enough, but gradually, we’ll cover all the most famous ones. Today, I’ve chosen two that fascinated me with their stories. But don’t worry if you don’t see your favorite brand here; in the next articles, I’ll talk about all of them!

LET’S BEGIN! THE OLDEST ITALIAN BRAND IS…

Not many know the answer to this question. I must admit that I was surprised myself when I found out that none of the current racing brands is the oldest in Italy. Yes, because the record goes to… Benelli!

The Pesaro-based company (now owned by a Chinese group) was founded in 1911 by Teresa Boni Benelli, a widow and mother of six children who showed more interest in mechanics than in agriculture (which was the family’s activity).

Teresa wanted to secure a future for all of them, so she sold a significant portion of their lands to open a mechanical workshop. What may seem like an ordinary choice today was anything but straightforward at the time, given the limited number of motor vehicles in circulation, especially in Pesaro!

Only after the war did the business grow, and in 1921, the first Benelli motorcycle was presented.

The numerous Pesaro family proved to be a successful team. Giuseppe Benelli graduated in Switzerland in engineering, presenting a thesis on the project of a 175cc four-stroke engine that was later developed and became the company’s flagship.

Giovanni was also a mechanical engineer and made an essential contribution, taking over the company after Giuseppe’s death. He also founded Benelli Armi (Benelli Firearms) since he was passionate about hunting.

Filippo was responsible for administration and finance, and he grew the company with brilliant ideas, such as recovering a large number of motorcycles abandoned by belligerents after World War I, which were converted by Benelli for civilian use.

Domenico was in charge of sports management. Francesco collaborated with the company, creating the first commercial network in Ancona.

In the family, there had to be a racing brother too: Antonio, nicknamed Tonino, was a four-time Italian champion with Benelli. Unfortunately, Tonino died at the age of 35 in a road accident… yes, after all the risks he took on the racetrack, it was a road accident that took him away.

In the post-war period, the company underwent various management changes and gradually ceased to be a family affair, although the romantic flavor of its history remains.

The company’s racing activity between the two wars and immediately after was quite lively, even including a victory at the Tourist Trophy. The last victory of a Benelli motorcycle dates back to 1969 with Renzo “il Paso” Pasolini at the helm.

Among the historic riders of the brand is none other than Mike “The Bike” Hailwood, one of the most famous and victorious riders of all time, who achieved a second-place finish in a race with a Benelli motorcycle, behind only his eternal rival, Giacomo Agostini.

The most famous motorcycle is the Leoncino, which has brought many victories in the past and now returns to life thanks to its recent reissue, making its comeback to the market. Benelli’s sports bikes include the Tornado from the beginning of the millennium and the beautiful naked TNT. There’s also an adventure bike: the TRK 502 for those who want to enjoy on/off-road riding.

In conclusion, Benelli is a historic brand that is still alive despite ups and downs!

THIS ONE’S EASY: THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ITALIAN BRAND EVER IS…

Come on, it’s quite obvious, right? Let’s say that by narrowing down the possibilities, it’s a 50-50 chance between “those two brands,” the red one and the black one… right? Wrong! The most successful Italian (or rather, European) brand of all time is MV Agusta.

We may not necessarily remember the golden years of the Varese-based brand (fortunately, or we would be quite old by now, at best). Still, between 1952 and 1974, MV collected an astounding 38 rider titles and 37 constructor titles in the motorcycle world championship!

Incredible motorcycles and incredible riders… but let’s take a step back and understand how the company was born.

Originally, Count Giovanni Agusta founded the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Augusta in 1919, which was involved in the maintenance and repair of military aircraft. It was his son Domenico, passionate about land vehicles, who asked for an engine for motorcycle use and more.

Unfortunately, World War II slowed down its development as the factory was occupied by the Germans in 1943 and forced to limit its production to military equipment.

In 1945, the MV Agusta that we know today was born, with its first motorcycle powered by a 98cc engine initially presented as… Vespa 98. Yes, you read that right!

Of course, that name was not available as it had already been registered by… wait a minute, not Piaggio? Apparently – I discovered – the first ones to have the idea were the Balsamo brothers with their Miller Vespa model from 1934 (don’t ask).

Later, the brothers gave up the “Vespa” name to Piaggio, and finally, this story makes sense, even though one of the few certain things in life has just crumbled down for me.

Anyway, we discovered that MV also tried to build a Vespa! Unbelievable.

The debut in competitions took place in 1948, and the first triumph at the Tourist Trophy and in the World championship dates back to 1952.

From then on, MV Agusta’s streak of victories was simply mind-boggling, especially considering that they dominated in all classes, simultaneously winning the 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc titles for three consecutive years in 1958-59-60! After that, from ’58 to ’74, the Varese-based brand consecutively won every single 500cc rider title.

These results are out of this world, but not surprisingly, they were achieved by two legendary names: Mike “The Bike” Hailwood (whom we’ve already seen in Benelli) and none other than Giacomo “Ago” Agostini, the most decorated rider in the history of motorcycle world championships with 15 world titles (and 18 Italian titles, including one in hill-climbing when he had nothing else to do and was bored).

Their rivalry was unmatched, first as competitors in different teams and then as teammates.

And let’s put this in context: how much courage did it take back then to race with those motorcycles? I’ll answer that with excerpts from an interview with Agostini:

“I often think about the Tourist Trophy when I battled with Mike Hailwood in ’67. The Tourist Trophy was an extremely tough race; when you took off your gloves, pieces of flesh would come off your hands; it was brutal. […] We had black suits with white shoulders because both of us brushed the white walls of the houses at 250 km/h” [1].

Today, the sporting commitment of the brand covers only the Supersport world championship with the F3 800, after briefly participating in Moto2 and the Superbike world championship.

I’ll add another lesser-known fact: in the past, MV Agusta was also involved in off-road racing.

After a dark period, the brand was acquired by the Castiglioni family, who contributed to its revival, transforming it into a group that also included the Cagiva brand (the name comes from CAstiglioni GIovanni VArese and since 2008, it has been owned by Harley-Davidson) and Husqvarna (since 2007 owned by BMW).

Now, let’s talk about the most iconic motorcycles. They are simply beautiful. Regardless of my personal opinion, MV motorcycles have won numerous awards for their beauty, boasting breathtaking lines among the most beautiful in the world. We all know the supernaked Brutale and its sports sisters, the F4 and F3. These motorcycles are still holding up well over time (the first F4 is still stunning), and they set the standard for beauty worldwide.

WHO RIDES ONE OF THESE MOTORCYCLES?

As I say goodbye for now, hoping you enjoyed the article, I’d like to ask you: does anyone among you ride a Benelli or an MV Agusta? Post a picture of you with your beauties in the MissBiker community!

Until next time, misses!

Marcella Colombari

[1] Source: Interview with Giacomo Agostini by GPOne.com.