Gilera

Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera. In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio.

In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was at that time, the worlds most powerful engine with 60 HP. The first across-the-frame 4-cylinder motorcycle was the racer 1939 Gilera 500 Rondine. It had double-over-head camshafts, forced-inducting supercharger and was water-cooled, producing 80 HP @9000 RPM and had a top speed of 140 MPH. This formed the basis for Gilera' s racing machines for nearly forty years. From the mid-thirties, Gilera developed a range of four-stroke engine machines. The engines ranged from 100 to 500 CC, the most famous being the 1939 Saturno. Designed by Giuseppe Salmaggi, the Saturno was inspired by the pre-war Gilera VTEGS 500 CC “Otto Bulloni” yet was quite different due to its unit construction.

Subject ID: 9522

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Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera. In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio.

In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was at that time, the worlds most powerful engine with 60 HP. The first across-the-frame 4-cylinder motorcycle was the racer 1939 Gilera 500 Rondine. It had double-over-head camshafts, forced-inducting supercharger and was water-cooled, producing 80 HP @9000 RPM and had a top speed of 140 MPH. This formed the basis for Gilera' s racing machines for nearly forty years. From the mid-thirties, Gilera developed a range of four-stroke engine machines. The engines ranged from 100 to 500 CC, the most famous being the 1939 Saturno. Designed by Giuseppe Salmaggi, the Saturno was inspired by the pre-war Gilera VTEGS 500 CC “Otto Bulloni” yet was quite different due to its unit construction.

Subject ID: 9522

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