In my recent post about attending the Quail (which you should join me for), commenter Starmag mentioned the replica Moto Guzzi V8 at the Solvang Motorcycle Museum and it reminded me that I still have some bikes to share from my visit there on the way back from last year’s Quail. Let’s get back to it!
Back in 1955, Moto Guzzi did something that had never been done until that point (or ever again): they created a 8 cylinder motor for a Grand Prix bike. Also known as the “Otto” (Italian for “Eight”), the water-cooled 499cc engine was good for 78 horsepower. This was good for a top speed of 172 miles per hour – which was so ahead of its time that other GP bikes wouldn’t reach that speed again for another 2 decades. Original examples are near impossible to find, but in 2001 7 replicas were made as a “continuation” of the line utilizing original drawings from Guzzi.
Despite the insane motor (each of the 8 cylinders had a dedicated 20mm Dell’Orto carb feeding it) and the dominating top speed, the Otto wasn’t really a successful racer. The rest of the chassis, particularly the suspension, brakes, and tires could not cope with the power and speed this bike was capable of. It was dangerous, unreliable, and expensive to build – not a great recipe. Per Motopaedia, after Keith Campbell crashed in the Monza race of the 1957 season and broke his wrist and shoulder, there were two racebikes available for use but no one willing to ride them.
Sorry, I can’t recognize the signature. Can you?
From what I can tell, Umberto Todaro and a gentleman with the last name of Frigerio were able to build 7 replicas of the famous racer from Guzzi’s factory drawings, and my buddy Chris Cantle (former editor-in-chief of Motorcyclist magazine) says that this one in Solvang is one of said seven. Per the museum, “this replica is a faithful reproduction of the original but with more modern design in the internal engine and ignition (the original had 8 sets of points – try to tune that).”
