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Panda
Meccanica Verghera
Like many other famous marques,
Agusta began business as aircraft manufacturers - Agusta is well known
to this day for their excellent helicopters. After the Second World War
the founder's son, Count Domenico Agusta, began motorcycle production and
entered international competition with typical Italian flair. The team's
efforts soon culminated in success, with a world 125 championship at the
hands of Cecil Sandford. This was followed by a long string of world championships
in every class with riders of the calibre of Carlo Ubbiali and John Surtees,
Phil Read, Mike Hailwood and Agostini. Fettled by Arturo Magni, MV appeared
almost unbeatable, completely dominating international roadracing for a
full decade
Motorcycle production was limited, but
the company produced a considerable variety of four stroke 125 singles
and 350 twins, along with a series of roadgoing shaft drive four cylinder
models which have become very collectible indeed. Not quite as collectible
as their racing models however, which, on the rare occasions they come
onto the market, can fetch over a million dollars. Apart from MV's success
on the world's racing circuits, a strong contributing factor to the rarity
of the marque's racing machinery may be that, so the story goes, Count
Agusta used to bury the previous season's bikes under the runway at the
helicopter factory to prevent competitors from stealing his secrets.
