Seven fast facts about Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. But that is just another, albeit important, number in the storied history of the iconic Italian motorcycle maker.

As the oldest continuous motorcycle brand, Moto Guzzi’s heritage is built on triumphs, innovation and tradition.

So, to commemorate its centenary, here’s seven fast facts about Moto Guzzi.

Moto Guzzi was the Ferrari of motorcycle competition in the early years of grand prix racing.

Just a few months after the company was officially founded in March 1921, it scored its first major motorsport success with victory in the motorcycle section of the iconic Targa Florio road rally.

Over the next 36 years, until it officially withdrew from motorsport activities in 1957, Moto Guzzi was the most successful manufacturer on the planet, accumulating an enviable collection of accolades including 3329 individual race wins, 14 Grand Prix world championships and 11 Tourist Trophy victories.

Moto Guzzi pushed the boundaries of competition with the introduction of the radical Otto Cilindri in 1955, the first motorcycle to be powered a V8 engine.

Designed by legendary Giulio Cesare Carcano, the 500cc engine is considered a masterpiece of engineering with eight individual carburettors, dual overhead camshafts, water cooling and weighing just 45kgs.

Needless to say, it produced a fearsome amount of power (its 58kW was significantly more than any of its rivals), revved to a spine-tingling and ear-busting 12,000rpm and, with clever aerodynamics, was capable of reaching a top speed of 285km/h that was unmatched until the 1970s.

Only a handful of Moto Guzzi’s highly skilled racers were ever able to come close to taming the Otto Cilindri, and even the best – like two-time world champion and TT winner Bill Lomas and Australia’s first Motorcycle Grand Prix winner Ken Kavanagh – eventually ended up refusing to ride it.

Carcano was also the man responsible for Moto Guzzi’s now-signature 90-degree transverse V-twin engine layout, which almost never made it into production.

In the early 1960s, the arrival of affordable motor vehicles like the iconic Fiat 500 had caused a significant decline in the motorcycle market. At the same time, Carcano had been working on his V-twin engine design and Moto Guzzi head honchos said they needed to see an increase in production to justify the development expenses. To make it viable, Moto Guzzi reportedly offered the engine to Fiat to power a sportier version of the Cinquecento but then, subsequently, couldn’t build enough to meet Fiat’s forecasted production.

Far from being disheartened, Carcano applied for a ministerial tender from the Italian police force for a new fleet of highway patrol motorcycles that stipulated the winning tender would be a bike that could cover 100,000km with the lowest maintenance costs.

And, with that, the Moto Guzzi V7, powered by Carcano’s 90-degree transverse 700cc V-twin, was born.

Since then, the engine in various sizes has also seen active police duty with the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department. More recently, Moto Guzzi has supplied the Berlin Police with Norge GT models while Moto Guzzi California Vintage models are the pride and joy of the Reggimento Corazzieri, the Italian Carabinieri Presidential guard corps.

Related: Seven things you need to know about Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi was not just a record-breaking machine on two wheels, but also four.

In 1963, Italians Pietro Campanella and Angelo Poggio took their Stanguelli Colibri – a beautiful lightweight streamliner powered by Moto Guzzi’s new V-twin engine – to the high-speed banked Monza circuit and set six new land speed records.

Being based on the shores of Lake Como in Northern Italy, Moto Guzzi also has its own rowing club and an official team – not surprisingly known as The Eagles.

Canottieri Moto Guzzi was founded in 1929 with the support of Carlo Guzzi – a keen rower himself – and during its 92-year history has racked-up 22 European and World Championships, more than 80 Italian titles, 10 Olympic gold, one silver (Sydney 2000) and five bronze medals.

Moto Guzzi has operated from the same factory since it first began in 1921.

Based in Mondello del Lario on the shores of Lake Como in the north of Italy, the oldest continuous motorcycle manufacturer has moved with the times but never away from its home.

The facility has been upgraded over the years to incorporate modern production machinery, yet still retains its old-world charm.

Today, visitors can wander through a museum with a vast collection of historic bikes that showcases the company’s innovations and achievements – as well as the ground-breaking Gustav Eiffel-designed wind tunnel that was first installed in 1950.

Now owned by the Piaggio Group that also incorporates the Aprilia, Vespa and Piaggio brands, Moto Guzzi is undergoing significant future investment with construction set to commence later this year on an all-new, larger production facility that will preserve the historic buildings while also adding a restaurant, hotel and larger public areas for its loyal and passionate fans.

It will also still retain its famous test track that circumnavigates the original facility – and is not for the faint-hearted.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Moto Guzzi has created a limited-edition series of motorcycles with a special Centennial Livery that takes inspiration from several of the brand’s most iconic models.

Available on the V7 Stone, V9 Bobber and V85 TT models Down Under only during the anniversary year, each special Centenario offering is painted in an exclusive colour scheme that draws upon Moto Guzzi’s legendary – and fearsome – V8-powered Otto Cilindri race bike of the late 1950s.

Replicating the purity of its aesthetic, the Centenario models feature a satin metal finish on the fuel tank that is contrasted by matte green on the side panels and front fairing, a natural-coloured material on the seat designed to appear like leather and gold eagle badges, as well as a dedicated 100th anniversary logo on the front mudguard.

For more information on Moto Guzzi or to book a test ride at your nearest dealer, go to MotoGuzzi.com