MV Agusta

MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.

Type	Private
Founded	1945
Headquarters	Varese, Italy
Key people	Claudio Castiglioni, President
Industry	Motorcycle
Products	MV Agusta Cagiva
Parent	Harley Davidson
Website	mvagusta.it

MV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Resurrected by Cagiva 1.2 Purchase and sale by Proton 1.3 BMW buys Husqvarna 1.4 Acquisition by Harley-Davidson 2 Racing 2.1 Grand Prix racing 2.2 Return to racing 3 Production Models 1946-1980 4 Race Models 1946-1976 5 Models , 1998 to 2009 - 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

History

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. They 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”.

The company successfully manufactured small-displacement, quintessential 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 smart 350 cc twin were produced, and a 600 cc four-cylinder evolved into a 750 cc which is still extremely valuable today.

Following the death of Count Domenico Agusta in 1971, the company declined and by 1980, it stopped producing motorcycles altogether.

Resurrected by Cagiva

Cagiva purchased the MV Agusta name trademarks in 1991 and in 1997 it introduced the first new MV Agusta motorcycle. The new bikes were four-cylinder 750 cc sports machines (the F4 range), which included a series of limited production run models, such as the all black paint work SPR model ("Special Production Racing") which was featured in the movie "I, Robot (film)" and in 2004, they introduced their first 1000 cc bike. 2004 marked the end of production for the 750 sports machines, with a limited production of 300 SR ("Special Racing") model in the traditional red and silver livery.

MV Agusta also made a limited number of F4 750 cc and F4 1000 cc "Ayrton Senna" editions in memory of the late Formula One Champion of the same name (who was an avid Ducati and MV Agusta collector) in aid of the Instituto Ayrton Senna, his charity foundation in Brazil for children and young people. Three hundred models of each were made in the early 2000s.

They also produce a range of 750 and 910 naked bikes called the Brutale. Production is somewhat limited, as it is the policy of the company to produce an elite machine similar to Ferrari in motor cars. They do not compete directly with Japanese manufacturers, whose motorcycles typically sell for considerably less than the cost of an MV Agusta. Rather they compete with other Italian models such as Ducati sports bikes the 996, 998, 999, 1098, and the naked Monster. In 2005, MV Agusta introduced the Tamburini 1000, which is named after its creator, Massimo Tamburini, who previously worked for Moto Guzzi, and most recently Ducati. Cycle World and Australian Motorcycle News magazine named it the best sportbike in the world.^{[citation needed]} Tamburini designed the Ducati 916 sports bike (predecessor of the 748 and 996 series) which marked the return of Ducati as a successful motorcycle manufacturer over the last decade. The MV Agusta F4 refined the innovative design of the 916. In recent publications, the MV Agusta has been highly praised as one of the best handling motorcycles ever created^{[citation needed]} and the 2008 F4 312R model is known to be the world's fastest production motorcycle. Claimed power of the new F4 312R model is 183 hp (136 kW).

In 1999 the Cagiva group was restructured for strategic purposes and MV Agusta become the main brand comprising Cagiva and Husqvarna.

Purchase and sale by Proton

Heavily indebted, the manufacturer was bought by Malaysian car maker Proton in December 2004 for €70 million. In December 2005 however, Proton decided to cut its ties with MV Agusta and sold it to GEVI SpA, a Genoa-based financing company related to Carige, for a token euro excluding debt.

In 2006 that financing company, GEVI SpA, with 65% of the share capital, had refinanced MV Agusta, and by so doing allowed the company to continue, and brought MV Agusta ownership back to Italy.

BMW buys Husqvarna

In July 2007, MV Agusta Motor S.p.A, sold the Husqvarna motorcycle brand to BMW for an undisclosed amount.^[1] Accorting to MV Agusta president Claudio Castiglioni, the sale was a strategic step to concentrate all of the company's resources in order to expand MV Agusta and Cagiva presence in the international markets having more financial resources for new models development.^[1]

Acquisition by Harley-Davidson

Following years of stalled ownership, the Guggenheim's "Art of the Motorcycle" icon, the F4 model, was ready for a refresh but the financial status of the company did not allow it. On July 11, 2008, Harley-Davidson announced they had signed a definitive agreement to acquire the MV Agusta Group for US$109 million (€70M). The purchase has sparked much interest and hope for a new direction for the company.^[2][3] The acquisition was completed on August 8, 2008.^[4]

Racing

Grand Prix racing

Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. They were determined to have the best Grand Prix motorcycle racing team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. 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.

In 1949, the 125 cc or Ultra light weight class gained new prestige. More motorcycle manufacturers were competing in the inaugural World Championships that were held in Switzerland, Holland and Italy. The Mondial 125 cc DOHC design dominated the 1949 season. The MV riders placed 9th and 10th in the final standings. In 1950, Arturo Magni and Piero Remor joined the company after working with Gilera. Magni was the chief mechanic and Remor was chief designer ^[5]. 1950 and 1951 were development years, as the company adopted the 125 Dohc four-stroke engine. Racing efforts only produced a fifth place finish at the Dutch TT in 1950. The 1951, results were only slightly better.

1952 saw the introduction of telescopic forks, full width alloy brake hubs and a sleek fuel tank on the 125 race bike. Power was 15 bhp (11 kW) @ 10800 rpm. Britain's Cecil Sandford piloted the new MV 125 to a Isle of Man TT victory and went on to win MV Agusta's first world championship. In 1953 the race engineers adopted the Earl-type forks to help with handling problems on the works racers. The 1953 season saw the introduction of the 350 Four. MV’s racing efforts now included the 500 cc, 350 cc and 125 cc class.

With the success of the 1952 season, independent or “privateer” riders could now purchase a “catalog” version of the 125 Dohc, now available through the company. The Sport Competizione racer had many of the same features as the factory bike. These included a multi-plate clutch, gear-driven oil pump, Dell'Orto 27mm SS1 carburetor and remote float chamber. The bike was nick-named “The Boy Racer”.

The mid 1950s saw the introduction of the 175 cc class. MV Agusta produced the 175 CSS for street use and also developed a 175 cc production racer for privateer racing. The 175 cc was very popular in Britain in the mid 1950s. Racers like, Micheal O’Rourke, Derek Minter and Bob Keeler raced the 175 and 125 Sport Competizione around Europe with a great deal of success. The marketing strategy of “race it on Sunday , sell it on Monday” was employed. For racing, early MV racing engines had the right side casting removed for instant access to the gear box.

Count Agusta's competitive nature usually saw him hire some of the best riders of the time, namely Carlo Ubbiali, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, and others, and having the best engineers, most notably Arturo Magni. The three and four cylinder race bikes were known for their excellent road handling. The fire-engine red racing machines became a hallmark of Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s, winning 17 consecutive 500 cc World Championships, and 63 World Championships overall. With the death of Count Domenico Agusta in 1971, the company lost its guiding force. The company won their last Grand Prix in 1976, and by the 1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, they were out of racing. Between 1948 and 1976 MV Agusta motorcycles had won over 3000 races.

Return to racing

Although there were no factory racing efforts , independent or ”privateer” teams were racing the F4 750. In 2003 , Big Show Racing , Chicago Illinois; fielded an F4 750 in the Formula USA , Daytona International Speedway 200 Mile Team Challenge. The team placed second overall with riders Larry Denning and Aaron Risinger piloting the bike.^[6]

In May 2007, the company confirmed its return to racing in the 2008 Superbike World Championship.Carl Fogarty's English based Team Foggy Racing was going to run the team.^[7] Fogarty however abandoned the plans to return to the Superbike World Championship because of lack of sponsorship.^[8]

MV Agusta's racing program in 2008 competed in the Italian Superbike Championship. Luca Scassa won the Italian Superbike Championship on a MV Agusta factory backed effort from the racing department in Schiranna, Varese Italy.^[9]

Production Models 1946-1980

• 98cc 1946-1949
• 125 Twin 1947
• 125 3-Speed 1948-1949
• 125 TEL 1949-1954
• 125 CSL Scooter 1949-1951

• 250 1947-1951
• 125 Motore Lungo 1950-1953
• 125 CGT Scooter 1950-1952
• 500 Turismo 1950
• Ovunque Scooter 1951-1954
• 150 1952-1953
• 175 CS 1953-1959
• Pullman 1953-1956
• 125 Turismo Rapido 1954-1958
• 48 Moped 1955-1959

• Superpullman 1955-1957
• 300 Twin 1955
• Raid 250cc-300cc 1956-1962
• Ottantatre 83cc 1958-1960
• 175 A B 1958-1959
• 125 TREL. Centomila 1959-1963
• 150 4T 1959-1970
• Chicco Scooter 1960-1964
• Tevere 235 1959-1960
• Checca ( 83cc-99cc-125cc ) 1960-1969
• Liberty 50cc 1962-1969

• Germano 50cc 1964-1968
• Arno 166 GT 1964-1965
• 125 GT-GTL 1964-1973
• 125 Regolarita 1965-1970
• 250 Twin 1966-1971
• Four Cylinder series 1965-1980
• 600 tourer
• 750 GT
• 750SS
• 750 Sport (drum brake)1972-74
• 750 Sport (Disc brake)1974
• 750 Sport America 1975-78
• 850SS
• MV Agusta 350B Sport 1970-1974
• 350 Ipotesi 1975-1980
• 125 Sport 1975-1980

Race Models 1946-1976

• 98/125 Two Stroke 1946-1949
• 125 Twin-Cam 1950-1960
• 500cc Shaft Drive Four
• MV Agusta 125 Sohc 1953-1956
• 175 Twin-Cam 1955-1958
• 250 Single 1955-1959
• 350 Twin 1957
• 250 Twin 1959-1966

• 500cc Six Cylinder 1957-1958
• 125 Disc Valve 1965
• 350cc Three Cylinder 1965-1973
• MV Agusta 500 Three 1966-1974
• 350cc Six Cylinder 1969
• 350cc Four Cylinder 1971-1976
• 500cc Four Cylinder 1973-1976

Models , 1998 to 2009 -

Brutale

• Brutale 1078 RR
• Brutale 989 R
• Brutale 910 R
• Brutale 910 S
• Brutale 750S

F4

• F4 1078 RR 312
• F4 1000 R / R 1+1
• F4 1000 R 312
• F4 750 S / 1+1
• F4 1000 S / 1+1

Limited Editions

• F4CC - Claudio Castiglioni
• F4 Tamburini
• F4 Senna
• F4 1000 Senna
• F4 1000 Veltro
• F4 SPR
• F4 AGO
• F4 Mamba
• F4 Corse
• Brutale ORO
• Brutale America
• Brutale Gladio
• Brutale Corse
• Brutale Italia
• Brutale Starfighter

A limited production edition of the F41000R known as the F4 CC, named after Claudio Castiglioni (the managing director of MV Agusta), is the most expensive production motorcycle with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $120,000 USD.

See also

• Agusta
• Cagiva
• Husqvarna

References

External links

• MV Agusta official website

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