‘The complete book ofMoto Guzzi – every model since 1921’ 100th Anniversary Edition
Author: Ian Falloon
Published by: Motorbooks, an imprint of the Quarto t GroupG Email: specialsales@quarto.com www.QuartoKnows.com Available from specialist bookshops and Amazon. Hardback, 255 x 305mm (portrait); 272 pages with over 350 photographs and illustrations.
ISBN 9780760367704
Price: £45; $60 US; $76 CAD; $80 AUD
‘ TheComplete Book ofMoto Guzzi: 100th Anniversary Edition,’ written by motorcycle expert and historian Ian Falloon, offers enthusiasts a thorough review of Guzzi’s storied 100-year history of all its production models.
Carlo Guzzi was born inMilan in 1889, where he studied engineering and worked for the motor company Isotta Franchini. However, it was not until the FirstWorldWar where he served as a mechanic in the Italian Air Force, that his dream of building his own motorcycle became a reality when he met the pilot and motorcycle enthusiast Giorgio Parodi – an alliance that would eventually see the formation of one of Italy’s greatest motorcycle manufacturers.
Parodi was born to a wealthy ship-owning family and it was his father who had guaranteed the financial backing for the venture. By 1921, theMoto Guzzi company was established atMandello del Lario, on the shores of
Lake Como. Interestingly, even though the company was named after Carlo Guzzi, Giorgio’s father, Emanuele, retained all the company shares. Carlo, the engineer, was paid a royalty for each machine produced, but never had any financial interest in the company.
Theoldest European motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production, Italy’s Moto Guzzi has built some of the most iconic motorcycles ever produced. Established in 1921, the company is one of the
most traditional motorcycle makers and, conversely, one of themost innovative.
Carlo Guzzi’s first engine design, a horizontal outsideflywheel (aka the ‘ baconslicer’) single, definedMoto Guzzi’s road-goingmotorcycles for the company’s first 45 years. Fromthe late 1960s, the transversely mounted 90 degree V-twin engine became the company’s symbol.
More recently, Moto Guzzi has seen two changes in ownership, and, under the umbrella of the Piaggio Group, has enjoyed a resurgence in style and development.
This 100th anniversary edition book includes all of the new models through 2020, as well as new photography and updated technical specification tables and more.
All ofMoto Guzzi’s production models are detailed here, including classics such as the Falcone, the V8 Grand Prix racers, the V7 Sport – not forgetting the Zigolo and the lightweight models – the Ambassador, the Eldorado, the LeMans and the Daytona, right up to today’s complete range of modern machines including the V 7, V 9, Audace, California 1400 and V85 TT Adventure.
Published byMotorbooks, an American imprint of the Quarto Group, this is a superb, high-quality 272-page tome with over 350 photographs and illustrations, written by the highly-respected and very readable author, Ian Falloon. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Jonathan Hill.