A superb and rare photo of the magnificent Randy Mamola seen in action with his 500cc Cagiva C589 500GP Grand Prix works
racer during the 500cc Grand Prix of Hockenheim
the German Grand Prix, which was ridden in 1989.
Shown is
Randy Mamola with the Cagiva C589 (or V589) V4 Grand Prix racer, seen racing in
the 1989 German Grand Prix which was held on the circuit of Hockenheim on May
28, 1989.
Randy
finished the race in 12TH position, Wayne Rainey won the race with his Yamaha
YZR 500.
Randy’s
magnificent Cagiva featured a 80 degree V4 engine with a capacity of 500cc, it
delivered a power output of 150hp!
Cagiva was
founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni in Varese, originally producing small metal components.
It went into the motorcycle industry in 1978. The name is a portmanteau derived
from the founder and the founding location, i.e. CAstiglioni GIovanni VArese.
In 1999 for strategic purposes, the company got restructured. MV Agusta Motor
became the main brand comprising Cagiva and Husqvarna. The company currently
operates under the name MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. but remains under the ownership
of Giovanni's sons, Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni. In 1978 Cagiva entered
the motorcycle business with two racing motorcycles riden by Gianfranco Bonera
and Marco Lucchinelli. In the same year they bought a factory in Schiranna,
Varese from AMF-Harley Davidson and went into motorcycle production. By 1979
the company reached an annual production of 40,000 motorbikes, with eight
models with two-stroke engines ranging from 125 cc to 350 cc. Many of
the Harley-Davidson models were continued in production as Cagivas, and the
off-road motorcycle division was improved and expanded, eventually producing
their own race-winning WMX series of moto-cross motorcycles. In 1983 Cagiva
also sourced Ducati four stroke v-twin engines from 350 cc to 1000 cc
and entered the big displacement market. Cagiva bought Ducati in 1985, but kept
the Ducati name that was better recognized outside Italy. Ducati motorcycle production
continued in Bologna,
while the Varese-built Cagiva Ala Azzurra (sold under the name
"Alazzurra") and Elefant were introduced, both featuring Ducati
engines. Cagiva continued with strategic buyouts of Moto Morini in 1985 and
Husqvarna in 1987. In
1991 Cagiva also bought the trademarks for the MV Agusta brand whch they sold
again in 2008. In
1996, Ducati and the Moto Morini name were sold to Texas Pacific Group In 1999, for strategic
purposes, the company got restructured. MV Agusta Motor become the main brand
comprising Cagiva and Husqvarna. In the early 1980s Cagiva began to manufacture
dirt bikes and started a massive public relations program with the opening of
their North American branch. They hired "Radical" Ron Turner to test
and develop their bikes. They also had Duane Summers, a legend in the cross
country pro circuit. This was when Johnny O'Mara was the fast one on the
125 cc bikes that year and Ron beat Johnny numerous times at local Southern California tracks. Cagiva motocross bikes were
characterized by their fast powerful engines and innovative features, such as
the MX line that had only one spring in the front forks with one fork
controlling dampening and the other spring. At the end of the 1970s the company
began campaigning the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit. Randy Mamola was
their lead rider from 1988 to 1990, and he achieved Cagiva’s first podium
result. They would also have some technical assistance from Yamaha. In 1991
they signed former world champion Eddie Lawson to their team. Lawson would
claim their first victory when he won the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix. John Kocinski
would also win a Grand Prix on a Cagiva GP500 (C594), finishing third in the
1994 world championship. In 1990 and 1994 the Italian rider Edi Orioli won the
famed Dakar Rally on the Ducati-powered Cagiva Elefant. Cagiva bought BMCs
design for the Mini Moke, manufacturing them in Portugal using British built
engines from 1990 until 1993. Intending to transfer production to the Bologna factory early in
1995, the tooling for the Moke was transferred to Italy late in 1993 – but production
never restarted. Past models that Cagiva build were the Cagiva SST-125 , SS-175
, MXR-250 , RX-250 , SST-350 , SXT-350 , WMX-125, WMX-250 , WXR-500 , WMX-500.
The current models feature the Cagiva Mito and the Cagiva Raptor, in various
version.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of
Cagiva ‘s rich motorcycle history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance
to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format
of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable
for framing!
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
All our photos are modern photos that are traditionally made from what we believe are the original negatives and are copyright protected.
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files and board backed envelopes.
They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
First come - first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any questions before the auction ends.