Italian Motor Cycles As Art

Story, Photos And Video By Miguel Caparros        Click Here For The Video

In August of 2011 the Museum Of Design Atlanta, MODA Chose for its Grand Opening to feature the art of the Italian motorcycles. Italians just have the design gene as part of their DNA. It has always been there and always very present in their industrial designs. It was not enough to just build great machinery but every nut, bolt and fin was seen as an opportunity to not just male a part useful but beautiful as well. Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo in the early 1930s, treated every part as a separate work of art.  From the Emblems to the cooling fins, every part is styled not only to enhance the function but also to please the eye. His influence even translated to the designs of Motorcycles. Though many in the past looked at Italian Motorcycles as too dainty and fragile when you study them up close and get to feel the precision on their ultra light parts you begin to understand part of the art follows function was taken to the extreme. I have tried to convey that up close feeling of many of the individual parts on the Motorcycles in the video,  and these stills taken from the video. Pause and take a close look, hope you enjoy it. We had the opportunity to come in the day before the public and take some up close video and photos with no one in the back ground..


Bimota was Created 1973 in  Rimini  Italy by, Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. The company name is a combination from the first two letters of each of the three founders' surnames, i.e. Bianchi Morri Tamburini. All of them established in the Motorcycle industry. Initially Bimota was for formed to supply a superior chassis for the wonderful inline 4 cylinder motors made by the Japanese, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha. Powerful smooth engines supported by mediocre chassis and handling. 

By the time this 1997 500 Due was built Bimota was having thoughts of leaving the Japan made motors and built a revolutionary 2 cylinder 2 stroke engine that was powerful, lighter and clean enough to pass emission regulations. They also were hoping to go F 1 racing against the worlds Motorcycles best. By 2001 Bimota went into bankruptcy and the end of the dreams of racing for a world championship were a reality. In 2003 a run of 120, 500 Due were assembled as street bikes using carburetors instead of fuel injection, also running with reduced power. Today all the Due Bikes are considered very valuable collectors items.

Moto Morini Is a survivor, that is the company. Founded in 1937 by Alfonso Marini in Bologna Italy, they went through WWII, the departure of the Germans, the Allies Occupation, the internal revolution, hostile take overs, bankruptcy, financial collapse and  some how they are still there. In my eyes Moto Morini is the Champion of minimalism, There is not a part on these bikes that is not doing something. From the beautiful aluminum head and cylinder castings to the dainty rods that support the fairing. Even the carburetor velocity stack is perfectly proportioned.  In the small displacement classes they led and everyone else followed. They were racing, winning and selling 150 cc to 250cc motorcycles from 1948- the 1970's.

I hope you can enjoy the works of art as much as I do. Stop the video and study the smallest of details.

A Very Famous Maserati And A Golden Shifter.

 Photos and Videos by Miguel Caparros

Click Here For The Video                                            

In the 50's the great Formula 1 constructors would derive their two seat Sports Cars directly from the Formula 1 cars. The 300S was based on the 250F that had a very long career from 1954 to 1960. Only 26 250F's were built, most of them were raced by privateers. The 300S began in 1955 and 28 examples were built through 1958.  It is amazing the performance extracted from these cars that had Dual Over Head Camshaft Hemi head and only 3 liters, or 183 cubic inches. Power output varied from 245 to close to 300 horsepower from the 6 cylinder engine.  I had both the good and bad fortune of having a few Maserati's over the years. Maserati marched to a different drummer and like many they had good times and really bad times. I also was exposed to their construction techniques when I owned a Stangelini Formula Junior that was basically a 3/4 scale version of the 250F and it was to date the most successful Formula Jr car of all time. The 300S sports car was not always the fastest but it proved to be reliable enough to win more than its share of races against the Mercedes 300SL and the Ferrari 250 V12 Monza. It was a glorious time when the drivers were fat and the tires were skinny, and there was a direct connection from the factory race cars to the ones that were driven on the street. The 300s also begat a 350S with a monstrous V12 engine and my favorite of all the 450S with a 4.5 liter V8 that had a sound that is unforgettable.

By Miguel Caparros.                                                      Click Here For The Video

By 1970 the Oldsmobile 442 and its other Muscle car cousins had come under fire from the insurance industry due to the popularity of the cars and in my opinion greed. The companies all banded together in the era of the 55 mile per hour national speed limit to make sure that the young and the young at heart would pay through the nose if they bought any thing that did not weigh 4,600 lbs and have 4 doors. Models like the 442, GTO, Z28, Mustang GT, Turino and Road Runner, all fell under scrutiny, if it had a V8 bigger than a 350 they would get hit with a big insurance premium. Very flawed thinking. The Ralley 350 was Oldsmobile's answer to sell a sporty car on keep it out of the high premiums. Ignoring the reality that in less than 3 hours that 350 could be lifted out and a 455 monster be dropped in and there was no way that the average insurance adjuster could tell a high output 455 from a milk jug. Those that would rather keep the engine in the car that it came with, found out that you can get loads of power from any 350. I was very guilty just like most young men that grew up in the 60's and 70's of burning up 30 cents a gallon of Sunoco 260 to blast down the street, stupid laws or insurance companies be dammed. If the insurance companies had truly cared for their customers safety, and even today, taken a pro active role in training drivers and creating a teared licensing system we would have saved many more lives than ridiculous speed limits, driving around with the shop teacher was a total waste of time. Not that I have an opinion on this.