Moto Guzzi 500 C2V Racer

Moto Guzzi's origins can be traced back to WWI, when a trio of motorcycle enthusiasts serving with the Italian air force hatched a plan to start a business: Giorgio Parodi would secure the finance, Carlo Guzzi would design the machine and Giovanni Ravelli would race it. Sadly, Ravelli died in a flying accident soon after the war's end, leaving Parodi and Guzzi to found what would become one of the most exalted of Italian marques at Mandello del Lario, close to the shores of Lake Como.

Carlo Guzzi's first prototype motorcycle of 1919 was unconventional in so far as its single-cylinder engine was installed horizontally, and by the end of the 1930s the 'flat single' had established itself as a Guzzi hallmark. The prototype Guzzi was exceptionally advanced for its day: unit construction of the 500cc engine and gearbox, over-square bore/stroke, geared primary drive, an overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder being just some of its salient features. However, the Normale (standard) model that entered production in 1921 was necessarily less ambitious, the most obvious difference being its engine's inlet-over-exhaust valve arrangement, adopted to reduce costs. Weighing 290lbs and producing 8bhp, the Normale was good for around 50mph flat out. Although not intended for competition, the Normale was raced by the works prior to the arrival of the purpose-built Corsa 2V for 1923, winning the prestigious Targa Florio endurance classic in 1922. A Tipo Sport spin-off with more powerful engine was catalogued for the first time the following year.

The importance of racing as a means of publicising Carlo Guzzi and Giorgio Parodi's fledgling marque had been recognised right from the start, at least by the latter, and although Moto Guzzi's Normale roadster in tuned form had proved capable of winning races, its inlet-over-exhaust valve gear limited further development, prompting a switch to the superior overhead-valve layout of the Corsa 2V (Racing 2-Valve). Guzzi's first purpose-built racer and first machine to feature the marque's classical red finish, the 500cc C2V retained the Normale's flat-single engine and over-square bore/stroke dimensions of 88x82mm but was considerably more powerful, its 17bhp maximum output being good for a top speed of 75mph. The C2V made its race debut in the 1923 Giro d'Italia long-distance race and would remain a catalogued model for a further four years, being dropped in 1927.