Difference between revisions of "MV Agusta"

'''MV Agusta''' is a [[motorcycle]] manufacturer founded in 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The company began as an offshoot of the [[Agusta]] aviation company which was formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico, Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado. Count Vincenzo Agusta together with his brother Domenico formed MV Agusta (the MV stood for Meccanica Verghera) at the end of the Second World War as a means to save the jobs of employees of the Agusta firm and also to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation. The company manufactured small-displacement, [[Café racer]] style motorcycles (mostly 125 to 150 cc) through the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s small motorcycle sales declined, and MV started producing larger displacement cycles in more limited quantities. A 250 cc, and later a  350 cc twin were produced, and a 600 cc four-cylinder evolved into a 750 cc which is still extremely valuable today.

Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. Much like [[Enzo Ferrari]], they produced and sold motorcycles almost exculsively to fund their racing efforts. They were determined to have the best [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing]] team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. MV Agusta produced their first prototype, called "Vespa 98", in 1945. After learning that the name had already been registered by [[Piaggio]] for its [[Vespa]] [[motorscooter]], it was referred to simply by the number “98”. In 1948, the company built a 125 cc [[two-stroke]] single and entered Franco Bertoni in the Italian Grand Prix. Bertoni won the event held in Monza and instantly put the new motorcycle manufacturer on the map.