[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fP4RecOOU5Syx69Q0qugt3zcaOXVX0pkJNgmjkFsZ5fw":3,"$f2mEGazHOY1fZSFY356-aX2pyg5P4coDWyCi0WgkrOPY":31},{"id":4,"slug":5,"pays_origine":6,"date_fondation":7,"logo":8,"image_hero":8,"translations":9},"4c69e9e2-cec5-4ae7-9b89-3554f6f41119","moto-guzzi","Italie",1921,null,[10],{"id":11,"constructeurs_id":4,"languages_code":12,"nom":13,"histoire":14,"sites_production_actuels":15,"sites_production_historiques":16,"adn_marque":17,"caracteristiques_cles":18,"modeles_emblematiques":26,"points_forts":27,"points_faibles":28,"meta_title":29,"meta_description":30},"e8507ea9-7d38-4514-b1af-9480534430d7","en","Moto Guzzi","Moto Guzzi is the brand with the eagle. Over a century of history, one single production site since 1921, a transverse V-twin that became a mechanical signature, and one of the most devoted communities in motorcycling. Welcome to Mandello del Lario.\n\n## How did Moto Guzzi begin?\n\nThe story starts during World War I, in the ranks of the Italian Naval Aviation. Three friends — engineer and mechanic Carlo Guzzi, pilot and shipowner's son Giorgio Parodi, and pilot and motorcycle racer Giovanni Ravelli — dreamed of founding a motorcycle company after the war. Ravelli was to be the test rider and brand ambassador. But fate intervened: he was killed in a plane crash in 1919, just days after the armistice.\n\nIn his memory, Guzzi and Parodi adopted the spread-winged eagle as their logo — the symbol of the Italian Naval Aviation. On March 15, 1921, the \"Società Anonima Moto Guzzi\" was officially founded in Genoa, financed by Emanuele Vittorio Parodi, Giorgio's father (a wealthy Genoese shipowner). The factory was established immediately in Mandello del Lario, on the shores of Lake Como — where the Guzzi family had its roots.\n\nThe first motorcycle, the Normale, came out that same year: a horizontal single-cylinder 500cc producing 8.5 horsepower. Seventeen units were built in the first year. The design already bore Carlo Guzzi's philosophy: rationality, reliability, and essentialism. No frills, just function.\n\n## The glory years: racing and innovation (1920-1957)\n\nFrom 1921, Moto Guzzi entered competition. The first victory came at the Targa Florio that same year. This was only the beginning: between 1921 and 1957, the marque amassed a staggering 3,329 official competition victories, 14 World Championship titles, and 11 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy wins.\n\nDuring the 1930s and 1940s, models like the GT Norge (1928) — on which Giuseppe Guzzi, Carlo's brother, completed a legendary ride to the Arctic Circle to test the first rear swingarm suspension — and the Airone 250 (1939) cemented the brand's reputation.\n\nThe 1950s were the peak. Moto Guzzi was Italy's largest motorcycle manufacturer, with a 24,000 m2 factory and over 1,500 employees. In 1950, Carlo and his brother Giuseppe designed and built the world's first wind tunnel dedicated to motorcycles — a revolutionary aerodynamic tool that is still visible at the factory today. Engineer Giulio Cesare Carcano, a mechanical genius, designed extraordinary racing machines, including the incredible Otto Cilindri (\"eight-cylinder\") 500cc of 1955, capable of reaching 285 km/h (177 mph) — a technological marvel that never won a Grand Prix but remains one of the most fascinating racing motorcycles ever built.\n\nIn 1957, facing a motorcycle market crisis (buyers were turning to microcars like the Fiat 500), Moto Guzzi withdrew from competition alongside Gilera and Mondial. The Grand Prix chapter closed.\n\n## The transverse V-twin: a new era (1967)\n\nBy the mid-1960s, the founders were dead or retired, and sales had collapsed. Moto Guzzi was nationalized in 1967 and placed under SEIMM, a state-controlled body. But a decisive turning point arrived: still under Carcano's guidance, Moto Guzzi developed an entirely new engine — an air-cooled, 90-degree V-twin of 700cc, mounted transversely (meaning the cylinders protrude on either side of the frame, perpendicular to the motorcycle's axis). This engine, paired with shaft drive, would become the brand's mechanical signature for decades to come.\n\nThe V7, launched in 1967, was the first model to use this layout. It wasn't an immediate hit, but the variants that followed changed everything: the V7 Special 750cc, then the V7 Sport (1971) — often credited as the first Italian café racer — paved the way for an entire lineage of sportbikes (850 Le Mans, 1000 SP) and tourers (California).\n\n## Crises, acquisitions, and rebirth\n\nDespite motorcycles with unique character, Moto Guzzi weathered decades of financial turbulence. The brand changed hands multiple times: De Tomaso (1973-1996), then a chaotic period under various entities before being acquired by Aprilia in 2000. In 2004, Aprilia itself was absorbed by the Piaggio Group, and Moto Guzzi became a wholly owned subsidiary of Europe's largest motorcycle manufacturer.\n\nPiaggio invested $45 million in renovating the Mandello factory and relaunched the brand with a refocused lineup. The V7 was revived in 2008, finding an enthusiastic audience. The V85 TT, introduced in 2019, is an all-road adventure bike that gave the brand genuine commercial momentum with a compelling concept: adventure riding with Italian character.\n\n## Moto Guzzi today\n\nMoto Guzzi remains committed to a principle unique in the industry: every motorcycle is still designed and assembled in Mandello del Lario, in the same factory since 1921. It is the oldest European motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production.\n\nThe current range revolves around the 90-degree transverse V-twin in various displacements: the V7 (850cc, the neo-retro classic), the V85 TT (853cc, the all-road adventurer), the V100 Mandello (1,042cc, a high-tech sport-tourer with active aerodynamics), and the Stelvio (1,042cc, the full-size adventure tourer launched in 2024). The factory is undergoing a major transformation, with an architectural redesign led by Greg Lynn, expected to be completed by September 2026 — incorporating next-generation production lines, a renovated museum, visitor spaces, and a café.\n\n## In summary\n\nMoto Guzzi is a brand for the devoted. For over a century, it has built its motorcycles in the same lakeside factory, with an engine architecture that belongs to no one else. Production volumes are modest, the dealer network is limited, but the character is incomparable. If you want a motorcycle with soul, history, and an engine that vibrates differently from everything else on the road, Moto Guzzi deserves your attention — preferably experienced in person, at Mandello.","Mandello del Lario, Lecco, Lombardy, Italy (single factory — design, production, museum)","Mandello del Lario, Lecco, Italy (same site since 1921, continuously renovated)","Character, authenticity, and Italian tradition. Moto Guzzi is the anti-trend of the motorcycle world: one single production site since 1921, a transverse 90-degree V-twin recognizable at first sight (and first blip of the throttle), and a community of \"Guzzisti\" whose loyalty borders on devotion. Every motorcycle that leaves Mandello del Lario carries Carlo Guzzi's DNA: the pursuit of the essential, the rejection of the superfluous, a raw mechanical character that fans adore. The entry price is reasonable, the range remains artisanal in spirit, and the eagle on the tank is a badge of belonging. If you want a motorcycle with a story to tell at every corner, you're in the right place.",[19,20,21,22,23,24,25],"Transverse 90° V-twin","Shaft drive","Made in Mandello","Italian heritage","Piaggio Group","Historic wind tunnel","Guzzisti community","## V7 (1967 — present)\n\nThe V7 is the founding model of Moto Guzzi's modern era. Launched in 1967 with the all-new transverse V-twin designed by Giulio Cesare Carcano, it spawned an entire dynasty. The 1971 V7 Sport is widely credited as the first Italian café racer. Today, the V7 (850cc) remains the brand's best-seller and one of the most authentic neo-retro motorcycles on the market, with an attractive entry price (around $9,000-$10,000 in the US).\n\n## 850 Le Mans (1976)\n\nThe Le Mans is Moto Guzzi's legendary sportbike. With its distinctive bikini fairing, committed riding position, and punchy 850cc V-twin, it competed with the best sportbikes of its era. Three generations followed (Le Mans I, II, III), and the Le Mans III (1981) remains one of the most sought-after collector's motorcycles. It proved that a transverse V-twin could also be a genuine sporting machine.\n\n## California (1971 — 2021)\n\nBorn from a contract to supply the Los Angeles Police Department, the California became Moto Guzzi's flagship tourer for fifty years. Comfortable, imposing, and elegant in a distinctly Italian way, it offered a refined European alternative to American cruisers. The California 1400 (2013) with its 1,380cc engine was the pinnacle of the lineage before the model was discontinued.\n\n## V85 TT (2019)\n\nThe V85 TT was a commercial turning point for Moto Guzzi. This \"classic all-terrain\" adventure bike with its 853cc engine and bold neo-retro styling attracted a far wider audience than the brand's usual clientele. Accessible, versatile, and full of character, it proved that Moto Guzzi could compete in the adventure segment without sacrificing its identity. It's the model that put the brand back in the spotlight.\n\n## V100 Mandello (2022)\n\nThe V100 Mandello is the most technologically advanced motorcycle Moto Guzzi has ever produced. Its new 1,042cc engine with variable valve timing is a first for the brand. It features active aerodynamics (electronically adjustable deflectors) and a comprehensive electronics package (ride-by-wire, riding modes, traction control). It's the signal that Moto Guzzi can innovate without betraying its philosophy.\n\n## Stelvio (2024)\n\nNamed after the Stelvio Pass — the highest paved mountain pass in the Italian Alps at 2,758 m (9,049 ft) — the Stelvio marks Moto Guzzi's entry into the large adventure touring segment. Built on the V100 platform, it uses the same 1,042cc engine in a chassis adapted for off-road capability. With the Stelvio, Moto Guzzi directly challenges the BMW R 1300 GS and Ducati Multistrada on their own turf.","- Transverse 90° V-twin with unique character: generous torque, distinctive sound, incomparable mechanical feel\n- Entirely Italian production in Mandello del Lario since 1921 — a rare claim of authenticity\n- Extremely loyal and welcoming community of enthusiasts (Guzzisti)\n- Reasonable entry pricing compared to other Italian premium brands (Ducati)\n- Shaft drive standard on all models: simplified maintenance, no chain to lube\n- Remarkable racing heritage and innovation legacy (wind tunnel, GP V8, 14 world titles)\n- Coherent and focused model range without unnecessary complexity","- Very limited dealer network, especially outside Italy and major metropolitan areas\n- Modest sales volumes that constrain R&D investment compared to larger rivals (Honda, BMW)\n- Narrow range: V-twins only, no pure sportbike and no small-displacement entry model\n- Fit and finish occasionally trails the direct competition (BMW, Ducati) on entry-level models\n- Average resale values outside Italy and beyond cult-classic models (Le Mans, vintage California)","Moto Guzzi — History, Models & Review | Moto-Académie","Moto Guzzi: full history since 1921, transverse V-twin, iconic models (V7, Le Mans, V85 TT). The complete guide to Italy's eagle brand from Mandello.",{"data":32,"hasMore":33,"marques":34},[],false,[35,36,37,38],"Aprilia","KTM","Triumph","Yamaha"]