Notable Competitors, Industrialists and Designers
Abarth
Carlo Abarth designed motorcycle frames and won the European Championship five times.
Anzani
Alessandro Anzani engines for aircraft and motorcycles in France and Italy, beginning in 1907. An Anzani engine powered Bleriot's aircraft in the first flight across the English Channel.
Bianchi
Edoardo Bianchi built motorcycles in Milano 1897 to 1967. Raised in an orphanage, he became one of the most important figures in Italian motorcycle history. Tazio Nuvolari came to fame riding his machines.
Alfredo Bianchi was a designer who worked with Astoria, Parilla and Aermacchi (Chimera, 250-350 Bicilindrica). He sold designs to other smaller constructors like Boassi of Milan.
Borgo
Brothers Alberto, Carlo and Edmondo Borgo built motorcycles from 1906 to 1926 in Turin. In 1911 they began fitting aluminium pistons, the first firm to do so. Their most famous rider is Victorina Sambri who raced Motoborgo motorcycles before and after the first war. In the 20s the focus of the business shifted to piston manufacture.
Otello Buscherini
Raced Minarelli in 1966, took a Malanca to wins in the Italian Hill Climb in 1968 and 1969, switch to Itom in 1970 and in 1972 won the Italian 50cc Championship.
Injured in Brno, then won the 1974 Italian 125cc Championship on a Malanca. He was had a bad fall in 1975 at Mugello, and died of his injuries on May 16, 1976.
Source: todayinmotorcyclehistory
de Tomaso
Innocenti was bought by British Leyland in 1972, which promptly collapsed, and then was sold to Alejandro de Tomaso in 1975. Tomaso also bought Moto Guzzi and Benelli.
Drusiani
Alfredo Drusiani, son of Oreste Drusiani, designed and built an advanced DOHC engine in 1948. Oreste Drusiani was one of the founders of CM.
Source: motorcycleandmotorcycle.blogspot.com
Ercole Frigerio
Born in 1907 in Albiate, Brianzola, he rode with Gilera in the 1930s. After the war he took up sidecar racing, with his first wins in 1947 on a Saturno outfit. He and his partner Magri took the Italian Championship in 1948. With a new passenger, Dobelli, he took the Italian sidecar trophy again in 1949, and came 2nd in the World Championship at Bern. The Saturno single cylinder machine was joined by a Gilera four, the latter used for international events to compete against the dominating Norton of Oliver.
In 1951 he won in Bern. In 1952 at Bern he crashed and lost his life, with his partner losing a leg.
His sons entered the trade and built a variety of motorcycles from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. See Frigerio Moto.
Source: puch-frigerio.it
Marama
Toyo Marama, who seemed to have almost as many names as he had languages, is credited with the introduction of speedway to Italy. Movie material.
Toyo Marama
Enrico Pedrini
Born in Bologna in 1905, Enrico Pedrini became well known in the automotive industry. He was worked with Weber, SASIB and Ducati.
He had a hand in the Idroflex of Marzocchi and worked with Busi on the
Neptunia. He was also involved with OMB of Bologna in the late 1940s.
Piatti
Vincenzo Piatti, designer and manufacturer of the Piatti scooter, began his professional life working with Ettore Bugatti, later assisted Suzuki in the development of their four-valve head, and is known for many other projects including the humble Mini-Motor.
Ben Shannon has published a detailed account of his "Twinspin" concept in PDF format, available at world-engine-design.com
Remondini
Giuseppe Remondini worked with Alfa Romeo, Frera, Nagas & Ray and Jonghi.
Ricordi
Instrumental in the development of motor sport in Italy
Taglioni
Fabio Taglioni features strongly in the histories of Ceccato, Mondial and Ducati.
Fabio Taglionii
Tonti
Lino Tonti was a talented designer who worked with Aermacchi, Benelli and Moto Guzzi where he is perhaps best remembered for the Tonti frame fitted to the Guzzi 850T and others.
He built his own motorcycles, the Linto.
Trespidi
Pietro Trespidi (B. Stradella, 27 April 1897 - D. Stradella, 10 July 1976 ) was a designer and entrepreneur who was involved with Gilera, Alpino, Ardito, Parilla, Guazzoni and other marques.
Pietro Trespidi
Vassena
Pietro Vassena - brilliant designer and inventor from Lecco.
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