FAST LUXURY
Like so many other manufacturers, Parilla sprang into existence immediately after WW2. Giovanni Parrilla’s first racer was a 250 ohc single, designed by Giuseppe Salmaggi who was also responsible for the Gilera Saturno. A year later, the first Parilla (with one R) roadgoing models were launched. The Italian industry boomed; double-knocker Parilla racers saw considerable success on the track, and the Parilla range blossomed. By 1956 there were over 51,000 Moto Parillas in circulation in Italy, and many models were exported to the UK, USA and even Japan.
The hi-cam ohv singles were introduced in 1952 as the Fox, with the chain-driven camshaft mounted on the left atop a tower, driving two short pushrods which actuated the valves spaced at 90-degrees. In theory – as with Velocette and the late Sunbeam singles – this combined the high-revving virtues of an ohc engine with the easy maintenance of an ohv. Down below, the built-up crankshaft ran on a caged, rollerbearing big end. Primary drive was by helical gears through a wet clutch and four-speed gearbox.
Four further models equipped with this compact and eminently tuneable engine soon appeared, including a 14bhp Sport version.
In ‘Lusso Veloce’ form, the 174cc (59.8mm by 62mm) motor ran at 6.5:1 compression, and revved to 7200rpm to produce 9.5bhp.
Carefully tuned and equipped with a straight-through racing exhaust, the Formula 3 175 proddie racer was capable of breaking the 100mph barrier. In 1957, the 175 won its Giro class and averaged over 60mph across the 1280 mile race. The Lusso Veloce for 1957 was upgraded to 10:1 compression, its rev ceiling raised by 500rpm and output reached 10bhp. By 1960 the hi-cam engine had been bored out to 199cc and then pushed to 247cc in its final incarnation.
With their range of two-strokes, four-strokes, scooters, a cracking motocrosser named the Wildcat, and the slightly strange Slughi with its pressedsteel chassis, Parilla rose to become one of the leading Italian motorcycle manufacturers of the era – ranked fourth behind the likes of Guzzi, Ducati and Laverda. Even so, the company suffered the same economic woes of the market’s subsequent slowdown, and bike production ceased in 1967.