The Benelli T50, also known as the 50 Turismo, was a 49 cc (3.0 cu in) two-stroke, single-cylinder moped produced by the Italian manufacturer Benelli during the 1970s.Crippa, Vittorio; Pasi, Alberto. “Tutto e subito.” Moto Ciclismo, no. 2, February 2006. The designation “T” stands for Turismo, reflecting its intended use as a road-oriented moped.Crippa, Vittorio; Pasi, Alberto. “Tutto e subito.” Moto Ciclismo, no. 2, February 2006.
The T50 and the Benelli 50 Cross were developed in parallel by Benelli and were both launched at the 1971 Milan Motor Show.Crippa, Vittorio; Pasi, Alberto. “Tutto e subito.” Moto Ciclismo, no. 2, February 2006. The T50 shared much of its mechanical design with the Cross, a motocross-oriented variant.
The T50 was designed by Italian industrial designer Paolo Martin.Martin, Paolo. “Motorcycles.” Best in Sketch.
Two importer-modified variants of the T50 were sold exclusively in the Netherlands. The GTV 50 and BS50 Sport were assembled and sold by TWIN (Tweewieler Import Nederland), the official Benelli importer in the Netherlands. These variants were not produced in the Benelli factory.“Benelli T50 dealer variants.” Tweewieler, January 1979.
The model was introduced during the European “sports moped” boom of the 1970s, a period in which many manufacturers offered small-displacement mopeds with contemporary styling and road-focused performance. Comparable models were produced by other Italian manufacturers, including Italjet and Gilera.
See also List of Benelli motorcycles Benelli
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