Moto Guzzi Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary With Iconic Livery

[Hugh Janus]

2021 Moto Guzzi 100th Anniversary livery. (Moto Guzzi/)

Following the news that Moto Guzzi is updating its V7, V9, and V85 TT models for 2021, the Mandello del Lario marque is unveiling limited-edition silver and green livery in honor of its centennial. Students of motorcycling history (“there are dozens of us!”) will find the inspired color scheme a long overdue comeback and a fitting tribute to a rich history headlined by one of motorcycling’s most legendary racing machines.

The V7 Stone 100th Anniversary will land at US dealerships at the end of March with an MSRP of $9,190, the V9 Bobber 100th Anniversary ($10,690) will arrive in July, and the V85 TT Adventure 100th Anniversary will land by the end of April 2021 and cost $13,190. The Anniversary models will feature the iconic colors, leatherlike saddles, and a special gold eagle emblem.

The 2021 V85 TT was updated for 2021 and looks extra sharp in silver and green. (Moto Guzzi/)

In 1921, Genoese entrepreneur Emanuele Vittorio Parodi, his son Giorgio, and friend Carlo Guzzi founded the company and selected an eagle as its emblem in honor of Giovanni Ravelli, Parodi’s friend and fellow pilot, who died in a test flight in 1919. Moto Guzzi quickly became a major producer. And a major player in grand prix racing.

The reunion of the Larian eagle and the silver and green paint evokes its most luminous period, reminding motorcyclists of the marque’s grand racing heritage. By the 1950s, its facility overlooking Lake Como—where it produces motorcycles to this day—was outfitted with the latest tooling and R&D technologies. In its employ was an army of engineers and old-world craftsmen who produced aircraft parts during the war.

Silver and green are to Moto Guzzi as silver and red are to MV Agusta. It’s a shame the livery is reserved for 2021 only. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 100 years for Guzzi to bring it back again. (Moto Guzzi/)

Moto Guzzi was particularly dominant in the 350cc class, where it won the world championship every year between 1953–1957. Its sweet-handling single-cylinder racer defeated the likes of the DKW two-stroke triple and the inline-four Gilera. At the same time, Guzzi developed a 500cc V8 roadracer, the legendary Otto Cilindri. The Honda NR500 of its day, the V8 featured innovative thinking that proved both its making and its doom. Like the oval-pistoned Honda, it never realized its potential, but remains one of motorcycling’s greatest icons. Just consider: The Otto Cilindri was liquid-cooled; it revved past 12,000 rpm; its engine was impossibly narrow given the number of cylinders; and the whole bike weighed a mere 330 pounds—the same as today’s MotoGP bikes. And it was fast. Really fast. At the 1957 Belgian Grand Prix, the Otto Cilindri was clocked at a hair-raising 178 mph. With its hand-formed green dustbin fairing and silver tank it’s immediately recognizable for the legend it is.

The Otto Cilindri. (Moto Guzzi /)

While other European motorcycle manufacturers, like Triumph and Ducati, have achieved notoriety in the broader cultural milieu, Moto Guzzi has remained less visible to the unwashed masses. And that’s just fine by us. While an anniversary paint scheme will mean little to the unacquainted, it will serve as a reminder of the brand’s legacy to the proud Guzzi owners who revel in the famous colors of a glorious past.

The V9 Bobber in front of the Moto Guzzi Rowing Club. Yes, there’s a rowing club. (Moto Guzzi/)

It’s been an exceptional hundred years. With newly updated models, Moto Guzzi is on firm footing to begin its next one hundred years. Happy birthday, Moto Guzzi.

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[Pedro]

I like that, the 85 looks classy