Arturo Magni

Last updated
Arturo Magni
Born(1925-09-24)September 24, 1925
Usmate Velate, Lombardy, Italy
DiedDecember 2, 2015(2015-12-02) (aged 90)
Samarate, Lombardy, Italy
NationalityItalian
Occupation engineer, entrepreneur racing team manager

Arturo Magni (Usmate Velate, 24 September 1925 - Samarate, 2 December 2015) [1] was an Italian engineer racing team manager and entrepreneur.

Contents

Early life

Arturo Magni was born in Usmate Velate, near Milan in the Lombardy region of Italy on 24 September 1925. [2] His main passion was for model aeroplanes, where he showed great technical creativeness in building them. He built life-size gliders, which he flew himself, and won the 1938 Italian Gliding Championship. [3]

After leaving school, he worked for his father for a while and then joined the aviation industry, working for the Italian manufacturer Bestetti. [4]

Gilera

The story of Arturo Magni in the world of two wheels began in 1947 when he joined Gilera. [3] The company had decided to participate in the 500 cc World Championship and had commissioned Pietro Remor to build a new four-cylinder GP engine. Remor was impressed by Magni's talents, and at Remor's insistence, Magni joined the R&D departement to assist in building the new engine. [3] This engine powered Gilera to six world titles in the 500 class with the riders Umberto Masetti, Libero Liberati and Geoff Duke. [2]

MV Agusta

Count Domenico Agusta was determined to make MV Agusta one of the leading motorcycle marques. [2] In 1950 Augusta hired Pietro Remor to build two GP machines: a four-cylinder 500 cc and a DOHC 125 cc. [5] To assist him in this project, Remor brought Magni with him from Gilera [3] as chief mechanic. [2] Soon Magni became Direttore Sportivo [6] (director of the racing department) under the watchful eye of the Count. [7]

His technical expertise was fundamental in developing the world-beating 350 and 500 cc "Threes" in the 1960s and the "Fours" in the 1970s. [3]

Magni held this position until the marque withdrew from competition in 1976. [2] He had employed riders such as Giacomo Agostini, John Surtees, Carlo Ubbiali, Phil Read, Mike Hailwood, Cecil Sandford and Tarquinio Provini. The Varese-based company, under Magni's guidance, won a total of 75 world titles (37 manufacturers and 38 riders). [2]

After the withdrawal from racing, Magni stayed on at MV as superintendent of the MV Agusta museum. [3]

Cagiva

In 1980, Magni was head of the race shop at Cagiva. He was in charge of development of a new four-cylinder racing two-stroke. The engine, which was a development of the Yamaha TZ 500 engine, was first used by Virginio Ferrari the 1980 German motorcycle Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. [8]

Motorcycle manufacturer

From 1977 he began his career as an entrepreneur founding the house that bears his name, along with his two sons. The company, based in a small but fully equipped workshop, [4] was located at Samarate, 20 miles from the MV factory. [7] Initial the company manufactured special parts for the MV Agusta 750 S motorcycles, such as chain drive conversions, big-bore kits and frame kits. [2] Later, in 1980, the company progressed to the construction of complete motorcycles. The first models were power by Honda CB900F engines (models MH1 & MH2). Later BMW R100 (MB1 & MB2) and various Moto Guzzi engines were used. The Sfida 1000 model, introduced in 1989, used a Moto Guzzi engine in a machine styled to reflect the MV racers of the 1960s. [9] (Sfida means "challenge" in Italian). [10] In 1999, models based on the four-cylinder Suzuki Bandit 1200 engine were added. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moto Guzzi</span> Italian motorcycle manufacturer

Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta</span> Italian motorcycle manufacturer and racing team

MV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The abbreviation MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese.

Massimo Tamburini was an Italian motorcycle designer for Cagiva, Ducati, and MV Agusta, and one of the founders of Bimota. Tamburini's designs are iconic in their field, with one critic calling him the "Michelangelo of motorbike design". His Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4 were included in the Guggenheim Museum's The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit of 1998–1999.

The 1957 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the ninth 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. It began on 19 May, with German Grand Prix and ended with Nations Grand Prix in Italy on 1 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 500 Three</span> Type of motorcycle

The MV Agusta 500cc Three (1965-1973) or MV Agusta Tre was a road racing motorcycle produced by the Italian manufacturer MV Agusta to compete in the 500 cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship. The motorcycle was introduced in 1966 to compete against the ever competitive Honda racing machines and was a bored out version of MV Agusta's highly successful 350 cc three cylinder. Giacomo Agostini won consecutive world championships in the 500 cc class with this motorbike from 1966 to 1972. In addition, MV Agusta won the Constructors' World Championships from 1967 to 1972. The MV Agusta Tre is considered the most successful racing motorcycle in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeromere/Capriolo</span>

Capriolo, later called Aeromere, was the name of the motorcycle production arm of the Italian aircraft company Aeromere or Aero-Caproni. After World War II, the victorious Allies prohibited wartime aircraft and other military hardware suppliers from remaining in their previous industries, and Aero-Caproni would change its name to Capriolo and become one of several, including Aermacchi, MV Agusta, Vespa and Ducati, that switched to producing motorcycles or scooters. These companies did well until the mid-1960s, when the advent of affordable cars like the Fiat 500 removed the economic barrier that kept many Italians relying on motorcycles for basic transportation. Capriolo was typical of those that could not survive the transformation to a more export-orientated industry, with the US as the most important market. Motorcycle production ran from 1947 or 1948 until 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lino Tonti</span>

Lino Tonti was an Italian motorcycle engineer known for designing a number of sport and racing motorcycles in the 1950s and 1960s, and for creating his signature 'Tonti frame' for Moto Guzzi's 1971 V7 Sport, setting his stamp on all Moto Guzzis since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 600</span> Motorcycle manufactured by the company MV Agusta from 1966 to 1970

The MV Agusta 600, also called the MV Agusta 600 4C and the MV Agusta 600 Turismo, was a motorcycle built by the MV Agusta company from 1966 to 1970. For the first time, a four-cylinder engine was fitted transversely to the direction of travel on a standard motorbike and cable-operated disc brakes were used. A total of 135 of this model were manufactured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 500 racers</span> Motorcycles used to compete in 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing series

The MV Agusta 500cc road racers were motorcycles that the manufacturer MV Agusta built and which were used to compete in 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing series between 1950 and 1976. 18 500cc world championship titles were achieved with these machines ridden by John Surtees, Gary Hocking, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read between 1958 and 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 500 Four</span> Racing motorcycle manufactured by MV Agusta

The MV Agusta 500 four-cylinder (1973-1976) was a racing motorcycle manufactured by the Italian company MV Agusta, for competing in the 500 cc series, the premier class of the FIM World Motorcycle Championship. With this motorcycle MV Agusta won the 1973 constructor's world champion and Phil Read won the 1973 and 1974 500 cc riders world championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 500 Six</span> Italian prototype racing motorcycle

The MV Agusta 500 6 cilindri was a prototype racing motorcycle built by the Varese company MV Agusta in 1957. Only one prototype was made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 350 racers</span> Type of motorcycle

The MV Agusta 350 cc racers were motorcycles produced by MV Agusta between 1954 and 1976 and raced in the 350 cc motorcycle GP championships. 10 world titles were achieved by riders John Surtees, Gary Hocking and Giacomo Agostini on these machines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 350 Six</span> Type of motorcycle

The MV Agusta 350 6 cilindri was a prototype racing motorcycle built by the Varese company MV Agusta in 1957, for the 350 cc class of the FIM Motorcycle World Championship. The project was resurrected in 1968. Neither version was ever used in a race. The only surviving model is now in the MV Agusta factory museum.

The MV Agusta 250 Monocilindrica Bialbero was a 250 cc factory racer manufactured by the Italian brand MV Agusta from 1956 to 1959. With this machine 15 GPs, 2 Driver Championships and 2 manufacturers World Championships were won.

The MV Agusta 250 Bicilindrica was a 250 cc factory racing motorcycle manufactured by the Italian brand MV Agusta from 1957 to 1961. With this machine 11 GPs, 2 Driver Championships and 2 manufacturers World Championships were won.

The MV Agusta 203 Bialbero and MV Agusta 220 Bialbero were Italian factory racing motorcycles made by MV Agusta to compete in the 1955 250 cc World Motorcycle Racing Championship. The machine won three GPs and with it MV Agusta won that year's 250 cc Constructors Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 125 Bialbero</span> Italian motorcycle

The MV Agusta 125 Bialbero was a 125 cc factory racer from the Italian brand MV Agusta, which was used between 1950 and 1960. The machine won 34 GPs, 6 rider's championships and one manufacturer's championship. The machine also won 4 Italian Championships and 10 National Championships in other countries.

Piero Remor was an Italian engineer and motorcycle constructor, best known for his work for the Gilera and MV Agusta brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Agusta 125 Sport SE</span> Type of motorcycle

The MV Agusta 125 Sport SE was a sport motorcycle built from 1975 to 1977 by the Italian manufacturer MV Agusta. It was one of the last models to be produced by Meccanica Verghera at their Cascina Costa plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magni (motorcycle)</span>

Magni is an Italian company that builds specialist motorcycles. The company is based in the city of Samarate in the province of Varese. Magni, in addition to building the bikes that bear its name, is also active in the construction of specials to order and a supplier of special parts for the restoration of MV Agusta classic motorcycles.

References

  1. ↑ "Arturo Magni". www.magni-bayern.de (in German). Magni Bayern. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Arturo Magni: 80 years of pure passion". www.magni.it. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 dePrato, Bruno (4 December 2015). "ARTURO MAGNI: 1925-2015, MV Agusta Race Manager Dies at 90". Cycle World . Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Magni Motorcycles: A Brief History of the Italian Marque". cybermotorcycle.com. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Walker, Mick (1998). Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. p. 209. ISBN   9780953131112.
  6. ↑ Cathcart, Allan. "Moto Magni A Family Affair". www.magzter.com. Magzter . Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 "Obituary: Arturo Magni, 1925-2015". Motorcycle News. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  8. ↑ Walker, Mick (1998). Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. p. 63. ISBN   9780953131112.
  9. ↑ Egan, Peter (January 2000). Australia. Cycle World Magazine. p. 59.
  10. ↑ Alan, Cathcart (January 1996). Cafe-racer Comeback. Cycle World Magazine. p. 67.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.