30/05/2024
While we’re on the subject of innovative racing motorcycles, it would be unforgivable not to mention the Moto Guzzi V8. This is another racing machine, this time designed by the Italian engineer Giulio Cesare Carcano, specifically for the Moto Guzzi Grand Prix racing division. It was by no means the first V8 motorcycle to be built, but it was such an engineering masterpiece that it’s hard to ignore.
Powered by a 499 cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled, V8 engine that produced a massive 78 horsepower, the Moto Guzzi was powerful and fast. It could hit a top speed of 172 mph—a speed that wouldn’t be beaten or equaled for another 20 years in GP racing—thanks to the huge engine and advanced aerodynamic dustbin fairing. It had huge speed, but it had its fair share of negative points too.
The brakes and suspension were said to be awful, and the handling completely unsafe. Very few riders able to ride it (let alone race it) and many outright refusing to compete using one. Not only that, it was complex to construct and quite expensive to build. Naturally, the project didn’t last long, and only enjoyed a brief two years of racing between 1955 and 1957.
So why mention it? Well, there’s no denying that the V8 was unwieldy, but it was also incredibly powerful, highly advanced, and years ahead of its time.