Moto Guzzi Grand Prix 500 cc V8
Encyclopedia
The Moto Guzzi V8, or the Otto motorcycle was designed by Giulio Cesare Carcano specifically for the Moto Guzzi
Grand Prix
racing
team for the 1955
to 1957
seasons. Though following the two-stroke Galbusera V8
of 1938, the Moto Guzzi Otto motorcycle and its engine represent a unique and historically significant engineering milestone.
The Discovery Channel
ranked the 'Guzzi Otto as one of the ten greatest motorbikes of all time.
and Fergus Anderson
just after the 1954
Monza
Grand Prix and designed by Dr. Carcano.
To introduce the bike, and build publicity, Moto Guzzi's racing team manager, Fergus Anderson
, released a letter to the international motorcycle press announcing Moto Guzzi's plans for the 1955
Grand Prix season -- attaching a drawing of the new Otto and challenging them to guess the configuration of Moto Guzzi's then very secret racing bike. Very few guessed correctly, and the Otto made a stunning public debut a few months later.
The engine and the bike were without precedent: a water-cooled, 500 cc V-8 motorcycle -- with dual overhead cams and a separate carburetor
for each of the eight cylinders. Weighing only 45 kilogram (overall bike weight 148 kilogram), its miniaturized components tightly packaged, the engine produced an unprecedented 78 hp at 12000 rpm. The motorcycle proved capable of achieving 172 mi/h -- 20 years before the speed was reached again in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Tyre, brake and suspension technology, however, lagged behind the powerful engine -- making race course field testing difficult and actual racing dangerous. Fergus Anderson crashed the motorcycle on its maiden run in Modena. Ultimately, only Fergus Anderson, Stanley Woods
, Dickie Dale
, Ken Kavanagh
, Keith Campbell
, Giuseppe Colnago
and Bill Lomas
were ever able to even ride the V8 motorcycle. Several of the riders experienced spectacular falls -- Bill Lomas suffering a head injury at the 1956 Senigallia Grand Prix. Ken Kavanagh refused to ride the motorcycle after the 1956
race at Spa-Francorchamps
.
The Otto Cilindri also proved complex and expensive to build and maintain -- bikes suffered broken crankshafts, overheating, seizing -- all in addition to the danger the bike posed to the racers themselves. By 1957
there were two bikes available and no one willing to race the bike -- without further development. In the end, the Otto remained undeveloped, as Moto Guzzi and other manufacturers withdrew from racing entirely in the 1957 season. Speculation suggests that with further development, the V8 could have proved a formidable Grand Prix contender.
Two authentic examples of the engine remain in the possession of the Moto Guzzi, at the Mandello museum.
Moto Guzzi
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It is one of seven brands owned by Piaggio.Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its central historic role in Italy's motorcycling manufacture, its prominence worldwide in motorcycle racing, and a series of...
Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
team for the 1955
1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 7th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
to 1957
1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 9th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
seasons. Though following the two-stroke Galbusera V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
of 1938, the Moto Guzzi Otto motorcycle and its engine represent a unique and historically significant engineering milestone.
The Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
ranked the 'Guzzi Otto as one of the ten greatest motorbikes of all time.
History
By 1955, Moto Guzzi had already demonstrated its engineering prowess, creating motorcycles with a wide breadth of configurations: horizontal singles, parallel twins, V-twins in in-line and transverse layouts, 3-cylinders, and 4-cylinders in horizontal and in-line form. Ultimately The Moto Guzzi V8 (The Otto Cilindri) reinforced Guzzi's commitment to pushing engineering boundaries. The engine was conceived by Giulio Carcano, Enrico Cantoni, Umberto Todero, Ken KavanaghKen Kavanagh
Thomas Kenrick Kavanagh, better known as Ken Kavanagh, is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racecar driver from Australia. He became the first Australian to win a motorcycle Grand Prix race when he won the 1952 350cc Ulster Grand Prix. In 1956, he won the Junior TT at the Isle of Man...
and Fergus Anderson
Fergus Anderson
Fergus Anderson was a two-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.A Scot, he was one of the first riders from Great Britain to make his living racing motorcycles on the European continent. In 1950 he signed with Moto Guzzi and competed in the 250cc class...
just after the 1954
1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 6th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of nine Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
Grand Prix and designed by Dr. Carcano.
Fergus Anderson
Fergus Anderson was a two-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion.A Scot, he was one of the first riders from Great Britain to make his living racing motorcycles on the European continent. In 1950 he signed with Moto Guzzi and competed in the 250cc class...
, released a letter to the international motorcycle press announcing Moto Guzzi's plans for the 1955
1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1955 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 7th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of eight Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
Grand Prix season -- attaching a drawing of the new Otto and challenging them to guess the configuration of Moto Guzzi's then very secret racing bike. Very few guessed correctly, and the Otto made a stunning public debut a few months later.
The engine and the bike were without precedent: a water-cooled, 500 cc V-8 motorcycle -- with dual overhead cams and a separate carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
for each of the eight cylinders. Weighing only 45 kilogram (overall bike weight 148 kilogram), its miniaturized components tightly packaged, the engine produced an unprecedented 78 hp at 12000 rpm. The motorcycle proved capable of achieving 172 mi/h -- 20 years before the speed was reached again in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Tyre, brake and suspension technology, however, lagged behind the powerful engine -- making race course field testing difficult and actual racing dangerous. Fergus Anderson crashed the motorcycle on its maiden run in Modena. Ultimately, only Fergus Anderson, Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods Dublin, an Irish motorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins and winning the Isle of Man TT races 10 times in his career. He was a past pupil of The High School, Dublin. Stanley started racing in 1921 on a Harley Davidson...
, Dickie Dale
Dickie Dale
Richard H. Dale was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer born in Wyberton near Boston, Lincolnshire, England.He competed in the inaugural 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Dale was a victor in the 1951 North West 200...
, Ken Kavanagh
Ken Kavanagh
Thomas Kenrick Kavanagh, better known as Ken Kavanagh, is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racecar driver from Australia. He became the first Australian to win a motorcycle Grand Prix race when he won the 1952 350cc Ulster Grand Prix. In 1956, he won the Junior TT at the Isle of Man...
, Keith Campbell
Keith Campbell (motorcyclist)
Keith Ronald Campbell was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Australia.Keith Campbell grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran with the ambition to be a champion racing motor cyclist...
, Giuseppe Colnago
Giuseppe Colnago
Giuseppe Colnago was an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He had his best year in 1955 when he won the 500cc Belgian Grand Prix and finished the season in fourth place in the 500cc world championship. Colagno was one of the few people to race the famous Moto Guzzi V8 race bike.- References :...
and Bill Lomas
Bill Lomas
Bill Lomas was an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was a two-time World Champion and a two-time Isle of Man TT winner. He won the 1955 and 1956 350cc world championship as a member of the Moto Guzzi factory racing team. In the 1956 season, he rode the famous V8 Moto Guzzi Grand...
were ever able to even ride the V8 motorcycle. Several of the riders experienced spectacular falls -- Bill Lomas suffering a head injury at the 1956 Senigallia Grand Prix. Ken Kavanagh refused to ride the motorcycle after the 1956
1956 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1956 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 8th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
race at Spa-Francorchamps
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...
.
The Otto Cilindri also proved complex and expensive to build and maintain -- bikes suffered broken crankshafts, overheating, seizing -- all in addition to the danger the bike posed to the racers themselves. By 1957
1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 9th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of six Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc...
there were two bikes available and no one willing to race the bike -- without further development. In the end, the Otto remained undeveloped, as Moto Guzzi and other manufacturers withdrew from racing entirely in the 1957 season. Speculation suggests that with further development, the V8 could have proved a formidable Grand Prix contender.
Two authentic examples of the engine remain in the possession of the Moto Guzzi, at the Mandello museum.