Italian motorcycle factory Motoguzi celebrated his centenarian birthday in 2021. While you may never have heard of the brand, and despite the ups and downs of the past few decades, Motoguz is proud to be the only motorcycle factory in Europe that has survived a century to this day, yes, the only one.
The first 50 years of motorized guz's founding were extremely rapid, becoming a winning general in the small-displacement motorcycle arena in the 1930s, becoming the largest motorcycle factory in Italy in the 1950s, and launching three Italian classic models in the 1970s – the V7 Sport, california California and Le Mans Le Mans.
Guz began in the 1980s into the gray age, and the long decline continued until the first decade of the new century, during which the new car was lackluster after several changes of ownership. Finally, with the support of the Piaggio Group to rebuild the factory and re-develop the V-twin engine, the Moto Guz came out of the haze with the new V7 vintage car and the California cruise car.
We also take this centennial milestone to review the birth of Motoguz and the shining points of the centenary.
Victory in the flag
Like many motorcycle companies, MotoGuz originated in post-war reconstruction. Honda and Piaggio succeeded in providing affordable transportation to the devastated populace of World War II, while Motoguz was the start-up project of two Italian pilots and their mechanics after World War I.
The three were pilots Giovanni Ravelli and George Parodi, as well as mechanic Carlo Guz. Parodi, the son of a wealthy family, was responsible for the funding, Guz was responsible for the design, and Ravelli, who was already a famous racing driver at the time, was in charge of the market. Unfortunately, Ravilli died in an air crash shortly after the war, and Guz and Parodi decided to honor their departed founding partner with the "Eagle With Wings Out" logo.
Guz, Parodi and Parodi's brother Angelo founded the company in Mandeló, Italy, in 1921. Early products were named G.P. (Guz Parodi) in the initials of the Guz and Parodi surnames, but soon the Parodi family, for the purpose of protecting the family's other industries, requested that the Parodi name should no longer be used, and the trademark became "Motor Guz". Mechanic Guz quickly designed their first model, the 500cc single-cylinder Normale.
Guz's first car, the Normale 500
An important factor in Guz's early success was his active involvement in racing. MotoGuzi successfully uses motorsport to promote its products. In its first year on the market, Motoguz won the prestigious "Taga Florio" race and in 1935 won the isle of Man TT 250cc and 500cc doubles by renowned driver Stanley Woods.
Guz, Woods and Parodi at the Isle of Man TT in 1935
In the 1950s, Guz ushered in the golden age and became the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Italy, the Mandelo factory has expanded to more than 24,000 square meters, built the world's first motorcycle wind tunnel, employed more than 1,500 people, won five consecutive 350 cc class GP world championships, the scenery is endless.
Hit by dimensionality reduction
It's not that Guz doesn't understand, it's that the world is changing fast. The golden age didn't last long, and Guz saw a sharp drop in global motorcycle sales as buyers switched to miniature four-wheeled cars such as the Austin Mini and Fiat 500.
1957 Moto Guz V8, 500cc four-stroke, extreme speed 300 km / h
In response, Guz with italian compatriots Girella and Mondial (both of whom now rely on Piaggio) withdrew from the 1958 GP Grand Prix. By the mid-1960s, Guz's founders were either dead or retired, sales were dismal, factory attempts to produce scooters were spooked by Lambretta (Lambretta threatened that if Guz produced scooters, they would produce cross-bikes), and the leader of the Italian motorcycle industry was deeply troubled.
Rise like the phoenix
In 1967, Guz was nationalized, secured a valuable R&D budget, and explored new technologies and new markets with the encouragement of state-owned shareholders. Due to the popularity of American cruisers and government procurement orders for large-displacement police motorcycles, Guz began to develop a large-displacement V-twin engine in the early 1960s, and a 700cc air-cooled engine with a novel structure and a horizontal 90-degree V-twin cylinder was born. Although the first model, the V7 in early 1967, was not a huge success, the car laid the path for Guz's development thereafter.
V7 of 1967
In Europe, the V7 was first improved to the 750cc V7 Special Edition, and then lightweighted to the 1971 V7 Sport Edition, becoming the predecessor of the Le Mans Sporter series.
In the United States, Guz's agent, Berliner Motor Corporation, approached the Los Angeles Police Department and offered to build a new patrol car for them based on the specific specifications of the V7. The result was a 750cc V7 police edition in 1969, a large order from the Los Angeles Police Department, and a civilian edition by Guz, the ambassador in 1969, which was later renamed Eldorado.
Moto Guz V750 Police Edition
These models, introduced in Europe and the United States, are cruisers with large fuel tanks, comfortable seats and electric start. They proved so successful that they helped Guz set a production record of more than 46,000 units in 1971.
1973 Motor Guz Eldorado
The glory doesn't end there. The police version of Guz was very popular after appearing in clint Eastwood's film "Magnum Force", and Guz upgraded the first california California on the basis of the civilian version, with a displacement increased to 850cc, and the black and white color scheme was closer to the police version, creating a sales miracle again.
1974 Motor Guz California
Then in 1975, the same year as the first Le Mans model, the designers of the V7 Sport created the "T3" series, known for its novel triple-link brakes. With it, Guz is truly back in the elite of European motorcycles.
In 1973, the sports car company De Tommaso, together with Benali and Maserati, jointly acquired the Motor Guz, california and Le Mans models, and The Guz once again regained profitability. But by the 1980s, the storyline had come again, and the boom didn't last. Due to underinvestment and difficulty in launching competitive iterations, Guz was on the verge of bankruptcy.
The Age of Piaggio
In April 2000, the ambitious Apulia acquired the Motor Guz for $65 million and began to modernize the Mandello model to improve the quality of the V11 series, giving Guz new hope. But the good times were always short-lived, and Apulia was in trouble in 2004, with Guz's production line having to be briefly shut down in March, and everything was at stake.
The plot twists and turns several times, and it's time for the superhero to play! Piaggio unexpectedly acquired Apulia (including Motor Guz) in December of that year, and a new era began.
2008 Motor Guz V7 Classic
The popularity of vintage cars has allowed Guz's traditional dominant model V7 to form a frontal rigidity with the British Triumph's Bonnyville series, and the 2008 750cc V7 model has been a huge success, becoming the most successful model Guz has ever seen.
The Piaggio Group's abundant resources, including a design center in California led by the talented designer Miguel Galluzzi, the creator of Ducati Monster, have created a new 1400cc California model, allowing the MotoGuz to fully modernize in addition to retro.
2016 Moto Guz California
Now, on the occasion of its centenary, MotoGuz has released a more modern, liquid-cooled, fully loaded and electronically controlled V100 Mandelo model, named after the 100th anniversary and birthplace of Mandelo, full of Piaggio's good expectations for this century-old brand.
As a bystander, I would also like to say that I wish Motoguz continued to stand on standby for a long time!