MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is an Italian high end motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa. The abbreviation MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese.
History
1943–1945: From idea to mass production
The genesis of the Agusta company came in the early 20th century. Count Giovanni Agusta left Sicily for northern Italy, where he built his first aircraft, the AG.1, four years after the Wright brothers had made history in the US.
The First World War, which demonstrated the prospects of aviation, prompted Agusta to be decisive. In 1923, in the town of Samarate, he founded the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta S.A. (usually shortened to Agusta) aircraft factory. He died in 1927 at the age of 48, leaving his life's work to his wife Giuseppina and his sons, Domenico, Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado.
Aircraft orders were plentiful and business generally went well until 1945, when provisions of the peace treaty that ended World War II (reiterated in the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947), forbid Italy from producing aircraft. Acting quickly to save their business and their employees' jobs, the Agustas turned to an idea formulated by Count Domenico Agusta during the war. Domenico believed that the business could best be diversified and made peaceful by commencing the production of motorcycles, which would be needed by a country gutted by war.
On January 19, 1945, in the town of Cascina Costa (near the Malpensa airport near Milan), a private company, Meccanica Verghera S.r.l., was registered. Using an engine that had been prepared by August 1943—a 98 cc single-cylinder two-stroke with a two-stage gear box—and spare parts obtained from the black market to bypass shortages, a prototype motorcycle was constructed. The prototype was exhibited to the press in late October 1945 at a dealership on Via Piatti in Milan. It was light motorcycle with a steel tube rigid frame, a girder fork, 19-inch wheels, and a gas tank marked with a large M and V. It was initially called "Vespa 98" before being renamed to "MV 98" to avoid confusion with the Vespa motorscooter produced by Piaggio.
The MV 98 was first produced en masse in 1946. Two versions were sold to consumers: Economica, based on the prototype presented a year earlier, and Turismo, distinguished by the presence of a three-speed gearbox and a rear suspension. The Turismo proved to be so overwhelmingly popular that before long, the Economica was discontinued. In 1946, about 50 units were produced.
1945–1980: Agusta family period Count Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. Much like Enzo Ferrari, the Agusta family produced and sold motorcycles almost exclusively to fund their racing efforts. So soon after the start of production of its first model MV 98, the company launched its own factory racing program.
The date of the first MV Agusta race is unknown, but the first victory was delivered by Vicenzo Nincioni in the road race held in La Spezia on October 6, 1946. Just a week later, he took the third place in Valenza, where the first place was also taken by the MV racer Mario Cornalea. On November 3, in Monza, MV racers Vicenzo Ninconi, Mario Cornalea and Mario Paleari occupied the entire podium for the first time in MV racing history.
In the end of 1946, a special racing motorcycle was assembled at the factory in Caschina Costa. Its main advantages over the serial model 98 were a telescopic fork and a plunger type rear suspension. The frame remained a simple tubular (closed type) and was shortened by 50 mm to improve the handling. The handle bar was narrowed and the rearsets were moved back to make a sportier riding position. The two-stroke engine was improved by enlarging the cylinders ports, raising the compression ratio and installing a new 20 mm horizontal carburetor. The number of gears was increased from two to three. As a result, the power increased to 5 hp at 5,400 rpm, and the maximum speed increased to 95 km/h.
Soon almost all of these improvements were also applied on the production model MV 98. By that time, the capacity of 98 cc was no longer relevant in racing world, which had become more organized and moved on to the classic 125, 250 and 500 cc categories.
In 1947, MV Agusta went to the Milan Trade Fair with a number of new features. In addition to a "Luxury" version of the 98, the two-cylinder, two-stroke 125 cc bikes and the 250 cc single-cylinder 4T bikes appeared.
Technical characteristics of the MV Agusta 250 Turismo were regular for those times. Its single-cylinder engine with compression ratio 6.0:1 produced 11 hp at 4,700 rpm allowing the motorcycle to speed up to 110 km/h. Only 100 units of the MV 250 Turismo were produced within three years.
The model with a 125 cc two-stroke twin engine had a very similar design to the MV 98. The only differences were a four-speed gearbox and two cylinders instead of one. This model was well received by the press as well as by the audience of many motorcycles shows. However this model didn't go to serial production mainly because its high price. Instead of this model MV Agusta launched a more affordable 125 Turismo, which was the result of the development of the original MV 98. It was powered by a 123.5 cc (53 × 56 mm) single-cylinder engine shoving out 4.8 hp and equipped by a girder fork.
Together with the 125 Turismo, MV introduced 125 Corsa designed for national and world championships. The power increased up to 9 hp. Its steel trellis frame, fabricated from thinner tubing, helped to reduce the weight from 75 to 55 kg. Two friction dampers had been added. And both wheels were replaced with 21-inch ones in accordance with the technical regulations of the races.
The bike was good enough to help Franco Bertoni to win the 1948 Grand Prix of Nations at Monza. 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.
In the end of 1949, Count Domenico Agusta invited two key professionals from Gilera – Piero Remor, who designed Gilera's four-cylinder 500cc racing motorcycle, and Arturo Magni, who was the chief mechanic of the Gilera's racing team. So they repeated a 500 cc four-cylinder engine and designed a racing model with 125 cc DOHC single-cylinder engine. The MV's first 500 – a Gilera clone – made its race debut at Spa-Francorchamps in July 1950, just six months after Remor had put pen to paper in MV's Cascina Costa race shop. After a short twenty-minute run on the factory test bench, ex-Gilera rider Arcisco Artesiani managed a creditable fifth on the untested and ungainly MV 500. His race average speed of 160.66 km/h was impressive, but the remainder of the season proved difficult and the MV failed to live up to expectations. Artesiani's third place at Monza in the Nations Grand Prix was the highlight of the 1950 season, and Artesiani finished eighth overall in the World Championship.
The MV's first racing success came later with the 125cc DOHC four-stroke engine. The 1950 season and 1951 season were development years. Racing efforts only produced a fifth-place finish at the Dutch TT in 1950. The 1951 results were only slightly better. The 1952 season saw the introduction of telescopic forks, full width alloy brake hubs and a sleek fuel tank on the 125 cc race bike. 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. And in September that year Leslie Graham made Count Agusta the happiest man alive by winning MV's first 500 cc Grand Prix, on the hallowed asphalt of Monza, beating Gilera's Umberto Masetti by 58 seconds. Giuseppe Commendatore Gilera was so incensed that he lodged a protest, claiming MV's engine was oversize. It wasn't.
In 1952, the Agusta factory started building helicopters under licence to American manufacturer Bell. And aviation once again became fundamental to the Count's business. Although MV Agusta continued to sell small numbers of exotic road bikes, from this moment on racing was a hobby for Count Domenico. Helicopters made him a fortune, which he spent on racing. Aviation technology also served him well on the racetrack. His Grand Prix bikes were constructed using the same high-tech casting, forging and machining techniques used in the manufacture of his helicopters.
At that time MV product line-up consisted of motorcycles and scooters with two-stroke engines, with a capacity from 98 to 150 cc. But people who lived in mountainous areas always preferred four-stroke engines because of their torque. So Remor was tasked to design a four-stroke road model.
At the end of 1952, the MV Agusta 175 was released in two versions: CST and CSTL. It was their first production machine with a four-stroke engine. The unit construction single-cylinder engine was designed with an overhead camshaft for high performance. The chain-driven camshaft operated the valves via rocker arms, which were closed by hairpin valve springs. The engine was inclined forward at 10° and manufactured in alloy and a bore and stroke of 59.5 × 62 mm. This model had a frame of a double loop design using tubes for the front sections and pressed steel members at the rear. The engine was used as a stressed member. Suspension was telescopic forks at the front and a swinging arm at the rear. The 175 CST was equipped with separate saddles and 17" wheels, the CSTL (Turismo Lusso) had 19" wheels and a "long seat" (dualseat) fitted. The 175 CST weighed 103 kg and figured top speed of 100 km/h.
In less than a year MV Agusta introduced a sportier version 175 CS with a larger carburetor (22 mm instead of 18 mm), a higher compression ratio, a larger cylinder head with bigger fins, aluminum wheel rims and plenty of glossy red paint. Its 175 cc one-cylinder engine produced 11 hp at 6700 rpm, giving a 115 km/h top speed. This model featured lower handlebars, a more sporty riding position and a beautifully sculpted fuel tank that quickly earned it the unofficial nickname "Disco Volante" (English: flying saucer) as, viewed from the front, the tank shape was reminiscent of a flying saucer.
In July 1954, MV began offering a very limited-availability racing model 175 CSS (Super Sport). The engine was further turned from the CS model, including higher compression ratio and a larger carburetor, to produce 15 hp at 8,800 rpm. Cycle parts were the same as the CS model, except it was fitted with Earles forks.
In 1955, MV Agusta designed the 175 CSS-5V for the 175 cc Formula Sport Derivata race series. The "Squalo" (English: shark), as it was generally known, had a lighter frame based on that used on the works racers, larger brakes, a magneto, Earles forks and a five-speed gearbox. The bike became the part of motorcycle racing history thanks to the first victory of young Mike Hailwood, the future nine-time world champion. Mike won his first ever race on one of these machines bored out to 196 cc in a 200-cc class race at Oulton Park in 1957. Around 200 of the model were manufactured between 1954 and 1957.
The 175 cc engine became famous not only in road racing. From 1955 to 1958, MV also produced off-road racing motorcycles. But, perhaps, the most unexpected option manufactured in the same years was the trike Motocarro with a load capacity of 300 kg.