A superb and rare photo of the great Benelli factory.
Benelli was established in Pesaro, Italy in 1911. Teresa
Benelli, a widow, invested all of the family capital into the business in the
hope that it would offer stable work for her six sons: Giuseppe, Giovanni, Francesco,
Filippo, Domenico and Antonio ("Tonino"). In the beginning, it was just
the Benelli Garage, which repaired cars and motorcycles, but was already able
to produce all of the spare parts needed for repairs. In 1920 the company built
its first complete engine in-house, a single-cylinder two-stroke 75 cc model, immediately
adapted to a bicycle frame. A year later in 1921, Benelli built its first
motorcycle, using their own engine which had by then become a 98 cc model. Two
years after that, using a version specially designed for competitions, Tonino
"the terrible" took to the track. He displayed an extraordinary
natural talent as a rider and embarked on a very successful career which
confirmed the company's exceptional capacity for development and production.
Riding a Benelli 175, Tonino Benelli won four Italian championship titles in
five years: in 1927, 1928 and 1930 with the single overhead camshaft (SOHC)
version, and in 1931 with the double overhead camshaft (DOHC) version.
Unfortunately, a bad crash during a race in 1932 cut short his brilliant career
and on 27 September 1937 Tonino died following a "silly" road accident.
As World War II loomed, the Benelli company debuted their four-cylinder
supercharged 250cc racing bike. This was intended to compete in the 1940
season, building on Benelli's success in the 1939 Isle of Man TT Lightweight
250 cc race. With the start of the war, the Benelli Four was limited to
competition in a handful of Italian domestic races. Wartime destruction caused
Benelli to remain out of production until 1949. When production resumed,
designs were still largely based on those of the pre-war period. During 1949,
Giuseppe Benelli left the family concern to found the Motobi marque. By 1951
Benelli was offering a range consisting of 98cc and 125cc lightweights (the
Leoncino or lion cub) and 350cc and 500cc singles. The Leoncino was available
in both two-stroke and four-stroke forms. The need for cheap transport in
post-war Italy meant that these lightweight models became immensely successful
. Similar models were offered by Moto Guzzi, Ducati and Laverda, and the same
economic conditions led to the growth in popularity of Vespa and Lambretta
scooters. In 1962, Motobi was acquired by Benelli, and the combined company
produced around 300 motorcycles a day and had 550 employees. Motobi designs
continued in production under the Benelli name. In 1969, Benelli introduced the
Benelli Tornado
We have more photos listed on Ebay of Benelli and other brands with various riders.
This is a very nice and very rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of Benelli ‘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 11" (ca. 20 x 28 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing!
Check out our other Ebay auctions or contact us for more Benelli and other motorcycle images and use the shipping discount! You can always contact us for any requests.
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.