The legend of the great Italian “Eagle” is born
On 15 March 1921, the company “Società Anonima Moto Guzzi” was set up at Mandello del Lario, to "fabricate and sell motorcycles and other activities relevant to or associated with the metal and mechanical industries". The partners in the enterprise were the well known Genovese shipowner Emanuele Vittorio Parodi, his son Giorgio and ex comrade in arms in the Italian Air Force and motorcycling enthusiast, Carlo Guzzi.
In common with every great enthusiast, Carlo Guzzi was unable to find the ideal motorcycle, so he decided to build it himself. At the time, the panorama in the sector was little more than pioneering. Even starting up one of the early bikes was a feat. Riders lubricated the engine with a manual pump with devastating results for clothing and also damaging the uncovered chain drive. Riding a motorcycle was an act of heroism and the list of spare parts to take with you on a trip included practically all the components.
The first prototype was produced in 1919 in the Mandello del Lario workshop with the help of blacksmith Giorgio Ripamonti. Known as the G.P. (Guzzi-Parodi) from the initials of the two partners, it was a 500 cc single cylinder with four valve cylinder head and overheard camshaft. It delivered 12 hp and had a maximum speed of 100 km/h. The model drew heavily on aircraft engine technology, well known by the designer.
Already revolutionary and well ahead of its time, the G.P. was modified several times before arriving at the definitive version, above all due to the excessive production costs. The name G.P. was abandoned as it could have been confused with Giorgio Parodi’s initials and so the name "Moto Guzzi" was born, together with a contemporary icon, the eagle with outspread wings, chosen as the logo to commemorate the rider Giovanni Ravelli, who was to have been the third partner before being killed in an air accident.
The "Normale” and the first victories
So, in 1921, the Normale was born. This was the first model marketed, with 8 hp, a maximum speed of 80 km/h and consumption of 30 km per litre. The Normale was the first bike in the world to be fitted with a centre stand, a feature which would later be adopted by all other constructors.
At the beginning of the century, the sophisticated publicity campaigns of today did not exist and the only way to make the performance of a motorcycle known was to enter it in a race.
And indeed, it was its racing debut, another historic date, which eventually brought the Mandello del Lario company into the international limelight. The race was the tough Milan-Naples rally. Two Moto Guzzis took part and the final classification was not exactly thrilling as they ended up coming 20th and 22nd. But victory was just round the corner. Just 30 days later, on 25 September 1921, Moto Guzzi had its first win in the Targa Florio with Gino Finzi. This was the start of an extraordinary series of successes which continued without a break until 1957.
The packed list of Moto Guzzi wins, continuing until the company withdrew from racing, included a full 14 world championship titles and 11 tourist trophies.
The first victories helped spread the word and the demand increased. In 1921,17 “Normale” motorcycles were constructed at a price of 8500 lire. The hitherto manual production became industrial and a 300 sq m factory was built employing a workforce of 17.
From that moment on, growth was constant. In 1923, Moto Guzzi was known and admired everywhere and on 7 September 1924, Guido Mentasti triumphed