Post Listing Update: This Malanca did not meet reserve despite 30 bids up to $3,051.
Based out of Bologna, Italy, Malanca was a motorcycle manufacturer that had some success in small displacement racing. This is one of their impressive scooters, a 50cc “Testa Rossa”. That translates to Red Head, and depending on who you listen to the name either came from the red-painted engine head or because the founder was a huge fan of Ferrari. Either way, it’s lovely and its incredibly rare in the US.
Malanca built bikes for three decades between 1956 and 1986. Mario Malanca started by creating motorcycle parts and worked his way up to complete motorcycles. In a 5 year period, Malanca won six championships in 50 and 60cc classes – they even won two rounds of the 125cc GP. Per the seller, 1970 is the first year that this model had an unpainted head and the last year of the “large-finned” head. The motor is a 49cc 2-stroke Minarelli 4M and its paired with a UB20 Dell’orto carb and a 4-speed transmission. It’s claimed to run great.
Find this Testa Rossa for sale in Tarzana, California with bidding up to $1,925 and the reserve not yet met
