MV Agusta

MV Agusta Motor S.p.A.
Private
Industry Automotive
Predecessor Agusta
Founded 12 February 1945, Samarate[1]
Founder Giovanni Agusta
Headquarters Varese, Italy
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Giovanni Castiglioni, President
Products Motorcycles
Subsidiaries Cagiva
Slogan Passion. Precisely Crafted.
Website mvagusta.it

MV Agusta, originally Meccanica Verghera Agusta, is a motorcycle manufacturer founded on 12 February 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy.[1] The company began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company 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 at the end of the Second World War as a means of saving the jobs of employees of the Agusta firm and also to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation. The acronym MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The company manufactured small-displacement, 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 350 cc twin were produced, and a 600 cc four-cylinder evolved into a 750 cc.

History

Racing philosophy (1945–1971)

1954 MV Agusta CSTL 175 Turismo Lusso
750 America
Giacomo Agostini on the MV Agusta 350 four-cylinder

Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. Much like Enzo Ferrari, they produced and sold motorcycles almost exclusively to fund their racing efforts. They were determined to have the best Grand Prix motorcycle racing team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. MV Agusta 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”. 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 the 1949 season, 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, Netherlands and Italy. The Mondial 125 cc DOHC design dominated the 1949 season. The MV riders placed ninth and tenth 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.[2] The 1950 season and 1951 season 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.

MV racing engine 125 cc

The 1952 season 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 1952 Isle of Man TT victory and went on to win MV Agusta's first world championship.

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 27 mm SS1 carburetor and remote float chamber. The bike was nicknamed the "Boy Racer". In 1953, the race engineers adopted the Earles-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.

Nineteen fifty-three saw the introduction of a new 175 cc overhead cam model. MV Agusta produced the 175 CST and CSTL (Turismo Lusso) for street use and soon developed a sportier 175 cc version with larger carburetor, a larger cylinder head with bigger fins, aluminum wheel rims and plenty of glossy red paint. The first year version (1954) of the 175 Sport featured a beautifully sculpted fuel tank that quickly earned it the unofficial nickname "Disco Volante" (flying saucer) as, viewed from the front, the tank shape was reminiscent of a flying saucer. Soon after, MV began offering a very limited-availability racing version 175 cc "Super Sport" for MSDS racing (production club racing) equipped with unusual Earles-design front forks. In 1955, it was superseded by a new and improved Super Sport model with radical new styling and a five-speed gearbox. Its design earned it the nickname "Squalo" (Shark). This 175 cc racing machine was very popular in Britain in the mid-1950s, where tuners learned to bore it out to over 200 cc capacity. Racers including 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 adhered to, and it worked. MV street motorcycles enjoyed immense popularity throughout Europe. In 1958 American rider Dave Schuler, riding a borrowed and barely modified MV 175 Sport street bike, won the 175 class at the famed Catalina Island GP off-road race, in California.

After the 1957 season, the Italian motorcycle manufacturers Gilera, Moto Guzzi and Mondial jointly agreed to withdraw from Grand Prix competition due to escalating costs and diminishing sales. Count Agusta originally agreed to withdraw, but then had second thoughts. MV Agusta went on to dominate Grand Prix racing, winning 17 consecutive 500 cc world championships.[3] 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, among 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.

Loss of the guiding force (1971 - 1980)

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 end of the season they were out of racing. The company's precarious economic position forced MV Agusta to seek out a new financial partner. A solution was found in the form of public financing giant EFIM (Ente Partecipazioni e Finanziamento Industria Manifatturiera), which demanded that MV Agusta exit the motorcycle industry if were to have any chance of straightening its finances. However, they continued to sell bikes until 1980, when the last machine in the Cascina Costa warehouses was bought up.

Resurrected by Cagiva (1991 - 1999)

F4 750 Oro

Cagiva purchased the MV Agusta name trademarks in 1991. 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. In 2004 they introduced their first 1,000 cc bike. Two-thousand and four marked the end of production for the 750 Sport machines, with limited production of 300 SR (Special Racing) models in the traditional red and silver livery.

MV Agusta also made a limited number of F4 750 cc and F4 1,000 cc Senna editions in memory of the late Formula One champion, Ayrton Senna, 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 of each model were made in the early 2000s.

They also produce a range of 750 and 910 naked bikes called the Brutale. Production is 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 lower prices; rather, they compete with other Italian models such as Ducati's sports bikes 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 had previously worked for Ducati, where he designed the Ducati 916. Cycle World and Australian Motorcycle News magazine named it the best sportbike in the world. 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 in the early twenty-first century. The MV Agusta F4 refined the innovative design of the 916. 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 division, comprising Cagiva and Husqvarna.

Since 1999

Heavily in debt, the manufacturer was bought by Malaysian car maker Proton in December 2004 for €70 million. In December 2005, Proton sold MV Agusta to GEVI SpA, a Genoa-based financing company related to Carige, for a token one euro excluding debt. By 2006 GEVI SpA, with 65% of the share capital, had refinanced MV Agusta allowing the company to continue operating in its native Italy.

2010 MV Agusta F4 1000

In July 2007, MV Agusta Motor SpA sold the Husqvarna motorcycle brand to BMW for an undisclosed amount.[4] According 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's presence in the international markets, having more financial resources for new model development.[4]

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),[5][6] completing the acquisition on August 8, 2008.[7]

On October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson announced that it would divest its interest in MV Agusta[8] and on August 6, 2010, it announced that MV Agusta had been sold to Claudio Castiglioni and his wholly owned holding company, MV Agusta Motor Holding, S.r.l.

MV Agusta announced that for the first three months of 2010 bike sales increased by 50%.[9]

On October 31, 2014, Mercedes-AMG announced a long term partnership with the motorcycle brand and the acquisition of a 25% minority stake.[10] This followed similar acquisition strategy by rival Ducati, now in partnership with Audi.

Towards the end of March 2016, media reports started to appear which indicated that MV was again experiencing serious financial problems (including a debt of €40 million) and that it had obtained a concordato in continuita order which would, in the short-term at least, protect it against creditor claims whilst it attempted to find new sources of capital.[11] This was followed in early April by reports that MV was negotiating the repurchase of AMG's 25% stake in the company and looking for a new major investor, whilst retaining the majority shareholding of the Castiglione family.[12] Even of greater concern, were reports that MV were not delivering any spare parts and that the factory might have ceased production.[13]

Racing history

The glory (1948–1976)

The name of MV Agusta became popular in 1948 when Franco Bertoni won the 125 cc in the Italian Grand Prix. By that time MV Agusta adopted the commercial slogan: "Racing experience at the service of mass production".

The manufacturer won its first world championship in 1952 with Cecil Sandford in the 125 cc class. Starting a domination in all classes, MV Agusta won the 125 cc, 250 cc, 350 cc and 500 cc titles simultaneously in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Italian manufacturer made an impressive streak conquering all 500 cc class riders' championships between 1958 and 1974.

MV Agusta retired from Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1976 season, having won 270 Grand Prix motorcycle races, 38 World Riders' Championships and 37 World Constructors' Championships with legendary riders such as Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, Phil Read, Carlo Ubbiali, Gary Hocking and John Surtees.

MotoGP World Championship

MV Agusta won the following world titles:

Year Champion Motorcycle
1956 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 500 GP
1958 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 500 GP
1959 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 500 GP
1960 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 500 GP
1961 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Gary Hocking MV Agusta 500 GP
1962 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood MV Agusta 500 GP
1963 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood MV Agusta 500 GP
1964 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood MV Agusta 500 GP
1965 United Kingdom Mike Hailwood MV Agusta 500 GP
1966 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1967 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1968 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1969 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1970 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1971 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1972 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 500 Three
1973 United Kingdom Phil Read MV Agusta 500 Three
1974 United Kingdom Phil Read MV Agusta 500 GP
Year Champion Motorcycle
1958 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 350 GP
1959 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 350 GP
1960 United Kingdom John Surtees MV Agusta 350 GP
1961 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Gary Hocking MV Agusta 350 GP
1968 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
1969 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
1970 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
1971 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
1972 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
1973 Italy Giacomo Agostini MV Agusta 350 Three
Year Champion Motorcycle
1956 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 250 GP
1958 Italy Tarquinio Provini MV Agusta 250 GP
1959 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 250 GP
1960 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 250 GP
Year Champion Motorcycle
1952 United Kingdom Cecil Sandford MV Agusta 125 Bialbero
1955 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 125 Bialbero
1956 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 125 Bialbero
1958 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 125 Bialbero
1959 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 125 Bialbero
1960 Italy Carlo Ubbiali MV Agusta 125 Bialbero

MotoGP World Constructors' Champions

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy

MV Agusta also won races in the famous Tourist Trophy. Giacomo Agostini made his Tourist Trophy debut in 1965 in the junior class on an MV 350 three-cylinder and finish third. He participated in 16 TT races, all on MV Agustas, he won the race 10 times, retired three times and was on the podium in the other races. He completed a senior-junior double in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972. Mike Hailwood won the Tourist Trophy on an MV Agusta four times, three in senior class and one in junior class. John Surtees turned to MV Agusta in 1956 and won the senior class. In 1958, he finished the junior and senior classes in first position, a feat he repeated in 1959. He also won the 1960 edition. MV Agusta won the Tourist Trophy 34 times.

Year Champion Class Motorcycle
1952 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Cecil Sandford Class 125 cc
1953 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Leslie Graham Class 125 cc
1955 Isle of Man TT Italy Carlo Ubbiali Class 125 cc
1956 Isle of Man TT Italy Carlo Ubbiali Class 125 cc
1958 Isle of Man TT Italy Carlo Ubbiali Class 125 cc
1959 Isle of Man TT Italy Tarquinio Provini Class 125 cc
1960 Isle of Man TT Italy Carlo Ubbiali Class 125 cc
Year Champion Class Motorcycle
1955 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Bill Lomas Class 250 cc
1956 Isle of Man TT Italy Carlo Ubbiali Class 250 cc
1958 Isle of Man TT Italy Tarquinio Provini Class 250 cc
1959 Isle of Man TT Italy Tarquinio Provini Class 250 cc
1960 Isle of Man TT Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Gary Hocking Class 250 cc
Year Champion Class Motorcycle
1958 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 350 cc
1959 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 350 cc
1960 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Hartle Class 350 cc
1962 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Class 350 cc
1966 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 350 cc
1968 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 350 cc
1969 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 350 cc
1970 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 350 cc
1972 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 350 cc
Year Champion Class Motorcycle
1956 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 500 cc
1958 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 500 cc
1959 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 500 cc
1960 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom John Surtees Class 500 cc
1962 Isle of Man TT Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Gary Hocking Class 500 cc
1963 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Class 500 cc
1964 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Class 500 cc
1965 Isle of Man TT United Kingdom Mike Hailwood Class 500 cc
1968 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 500 cc
1969 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 500 cc
1970 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 500 cc
1971 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 500 cc
1972 Isle of Man TT Italy Giacomo Agostini Class 500 cc

Return to racing

Daytona International Podium, MV Agusta F4

Although there were no factory racing efforts, independent ("privateer") teams were racing the F4 750. In 2003 Big Show Racing of Chicago, Illinois, USA, 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.[14]

In 2004 the company made a semi-official return to racing, backing the MV Agusta Deutschland team in the IDM German Superbike championship: Jörg Teuchert claimed two wins riding a F4 1000S, marking the company's return to a victory since Agostini's 1976 German Grand Prix win. In 2005 the racing activities were expanded to the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup with Italian teams EVR Corse and Gimotorsports.

MV Agusta won the Italian Superstock Championship in 2006 with Luca Scassa, 30 years after its last title (Agostini's 1976 500cc Italian Championship). In 2008 Scassa won the Italian Superbike Championship on a factory-backed machine from the racing department in Schiranna, Varese Italy.[15]

Team Fast by Ferracci entered two F4s for Luca Scassa and Matt Lynn in the 2007 AMA Superbike Championship season.

The company planned its return to racing for the 2008 Superbike World Championship season: Carl Fogarty's English-based Team Foggy Racing was going to run the team;[16] However the project was aborted due to a lack of sponsorship.[17]

In 2013 two MV Agusta F4-RR were entered by Grant Racing in the British Superstock Championship. The MV Agusta F3 675 competed in the 2013 Supersport World Championship season with two bikes managed by Team ParkinGO; Roberto Rolfo and Christian Iddon rode the bikes achieving three podiums.

In 2014 MV Agusta made the official return to racing establishing the MV Agusta Reparto Corse works team, managing both World Superbike and Supersport activities.

MV Agusta Reparto Corse

Classic product history

Classic street models (1946–1980)

1956 Pullman 125 cc
1952 150 cc Turismo
MV Agusta 600 with disc brakes from 1967[18]
1972 MV Agusta 350

Race models (1946–1976)

MV Agusta 500 cc 1964
500 cc four 1974

Modern product history (from 1998)

MV Agusta F4 750 cc

MV Agusta F4 750 S

Factory produced limited editions

MV Agusta F4 1000 cc (first model)

MV Agusta F4 1000 R 312

CRC limited editions

CRC limited edition bikes and kits

[SP-01 - 50 total]

[SP-02 (basic) / SP-03 (full optional) / SP-04 (standard) - 300 total]

[SP-14 (monoposto) / SP-15 (biposto) - 300 total]

MV Agusta F4 1000 cc (second model)

MV Agusta F4 1000

Limited editions

MV Agusta F3 675 cc

MV Agusta F3

MV Agusta Brutale 750 cc

Factory produced limited edition

CRC limited editions

CRC limited edition bikes and kits

[SP-05 (basic) / SP-06 (full optional) - 300 total]

[SP-07 (basic) / SP-08 (full optional) - 300 total]

[SP-09 (basic) / SP-10 (full optional) / SP-11 (standard) - 300 total]

[SP-12 (basic) / SP-13 (full optional) - 300 total]

2007 MV Agusta Brutale 910 S

MV Agusta Brutale 1000 cc (first model)

2007 MV Agusta Brutale 989 R

Limited editions

MV Agusta Brutale 1000 cc (second model)

Limited editions

MV Agusta Rivale 800 cc

MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800 cc

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 cc

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Falloon, p. 8
  2. ↑ MV Agusta All production road and racing motorcycles. Mick Walker. Osprey Publishing Limited
  3. 1 2 Smith, Robert (January–February 2013). "Last of the Breed: MV Agusta 850SS". Motorcycle Classics 8 (3). Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 BMW Buys Husqvarna From MV Agusta roadracingworld.com retrieved on September 30, 2007
  5. ↑ "Harley-Davidson Acquires Both MV Agusta & Cagiva!". SuperbikePlanet.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  6. ↑ "Harley-Davidson to acquire Mv Agusta Group expanding presence in Europe". Harley-Davidson.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  7. ↑ Harley-Davidson Completes Acquisition of MV Agusta
  8. ↑ Barrett, Rick (15 October 2009), "Harley drops two lines, income plummets", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), ISSN 1082-8850
  9. ↑ Michele Coppola (2010-03-26). "MV Agusta: Sales Increased by 50%! | Motorcycle News". Ultimatemotorcycling.com. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  10. ↑ http://www.motori24.ilsole24ore.com/Industria-Protagonisti/2014/10/Mercedes-Amg-compra-Mv-Agusta.php
  11. ↑ http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/mv-agusta-chapter-11-bankruptcy/
  12. ↑ http://www.ilgiorno.it/varese/mv-agusta-mercedes-1.2100566
  13. ↑ http://www.motoservices.com/actualite-moto/MV-Agusta-Varese-ne-repond-plus-J-ai-des-doutes-avril-2016.htm
  14. ↑ Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology Magazine. December 2003 Vol. 13 #12
  15. ↑ "MV Austa racing program for the 2008 season". mvagusta.com. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  16. ↑ "Fogarty team confirms 2008 return". BBC SPORT. May 2, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  17. ↑ Foggy Racing scraps WSBK return. crash.net retrieved 0n September 30, 2007
  18. ↑ Motor Cycle (UK weekly magazine) 29 September 1966 p.426 Does the odd-looking machine on this page ring a bell? Libanori said that the factory hope to make a batch of 25 of the new fours in April. Accessed 2015-11-05

References

External links

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