c1958 Moto Guzzi Cardellino 85cc Motorcycle

Description

One of Italy's oldest and most successful motorcycle manufacturers, Moto Guzzi was established in 1921 and dominated Grand Prix motorcycle racing in the 1930s and again in the 1950s. Although Moto Guzzi's wartime production was limited to 500cc machines for military use, the company had already sensed the need for cheap, basic transportation and before hostilities ceased a simple two-stroke moped was being developed. Named the Guzzino, the first 65cc used sprung blade-type front forks and swing-arm suspension at the rear, a simple frame design and drum brakes on both wheels. Final drive was gear driven, with a hand-change three-speed gearbox and wet-plate clutch. The Guzzino evolved into the Motoleggera and these accounted for almost half of all Moto Guzzi sales in the period. In 1954 a new version, named the Cardellino (which translates to Goldfinch) was introduced and went on to enjoy a long production run that finally ended in 1963. Priced at a very affordable 99,000 lire, the Cardellino could carry a pillion passenger more comfortably thanks to revised bodywork. The specification continued to evolve, with telescopic front forks and adjustable friction shock absorbers added in 1955, followed by an expansion of the engine capacity to 73cc in 1957. Sold in two versions, the Lusso (with a larger 8.5-litre fuel tank) and Turismo, the Cardellino now had a foot-operated gearchange. In 1958 the Nuovo Cardellino gained further improvements in the form of an aluminium cylinder and hard-chromed barrel, along with redesigned suspension. The Cardellino proved popular with the Italian postal service and sold in large numbers but few survive today and those that do are now sought after collectors' pieces.