Over on the auction site, we’ve got a beautiful little motorcycle I had never heard of before. If you haven’t either, let me share some of my research with you!
Originally founded in 1914 by five brothers (Carlo, Ettore, Alfieri, Bindo, and Ernesto) in Italy, Maserati was purchased by Adolfo Orsi in 1937. After Orsi’s death in the early ’50s, the business was divided into three different outfits: a foundry known as “Fonder di Modena”, “Fabric Candele e Accumulatori Maserati” (FCAM), which produced automotive spark plugs, batteries, and lightbulbs, and the Maserati everyone knows today, “Maserati Automobil”. FCAM was inherited by Adolfo’s sister, Ida, and she astutely saw the growing demand for economical transportation offerings in post-war Italy. With that in mind, “Maserati” got into the small displacement motorcycle and moped market – it just wasn’t the automotive division, like riders typically assume. Due to the family connection, the two-wheelers were still allowed to use the Maserati name and the trident logo, which is derived from the “Fountain of Neptune” statue from 1565 in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore. This was tremendously helpful in export markets as the cars were famous for their style and performance, so consumers were expecting more of the same from motorcycles and mopeds with the same branding.
Italian laws limited minors to 50cc mopeds (with pedals) and Maserati went out of its way to aesthetically mimic larger displacement machines by utilizing megaphone exhausts, race number plates, wraparound front fenders, and other styling features that attracted a younger demographic. One of the most obvious examples of this was the T2/SS, the top of the line of Maserati’s 50cc models. The 50c range was introduced in 1956 with three frames – one specifically designed for men (50/T2/U), one for women (50/T2/S), and one for racing (50/T2/SS). All three models shared a 2.8 horsepower 49cc engine and a three-speed transmission with twist shift.
This example (VIN: SS2405, Engine #: SS7353) has 1,649 miles and it’s offered by the second owner. The sale includes the original sales invoice, registration, and insurance paperwork. It’s also still on the original tires, so the next owner should replace those and true the rear wheel before they cover some more miles! Check out the seller starting this little Italian by hand:
Find this Maserati for sale in Johannesburg, South Africa with bidding up to $1,900 and the reserve not yet met here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.