1926 Garelli 348cc Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. 522
Engine no. G132
Frame no. 522
Engine no. G132
The Garelli factory team withdrew from racing at the end of the 1924 season, though for a few more years Garellis continued to be raced with success by privateers. One of the latter, Ermino Visioli, was responsible for Garelli's first Isle of Man TT entry in 1926. Visioli's machine certainly looked formidable with its four carburettors and two expansion-chamber exhausts complete with 'fishtails', and must have sounded glorious. Sadly, the Garelli's complexity would prove to be its undoing, Visioli being forced to retire from the Junior race on the third lap when a throttle cable broke.
Back in Italy the factory continued to be active in record breaking and in May 1926 came away from Monza with a mind-boggling 126 in the bag. Although the machines used were 350s, they proved fast enough to take records in the 500cc, 600cc, 750cc and 1,000cc classes as well!
The machine offered here represents the 350 Grand Prix Garelli in its final incarnation. In this form the slit-single engine produced a maximum of 20bhp at 4,500rpm, which was good enough for a top speed of over 130km/h (81mph). Note the heat dissipating copper flange between the cylinder and head, and the combination of straight and megaphone exhaust pipes. A petroil mix of 17% was used to lubricate the engine, which was built in unit with a two-speed gearbox. This actual machine is featured on the front cover of 'Agrati Garelli: 80 anni di storia' by Daniele Agrati and Poberto Patrignani and was tested by Alan Cathcart for an article in Classic Racer magazine circa 1983. A revised version of this article is scheduled for publication in the February 2013 edition of The Classic MotorCycle.
Back in Italy the factory continued to be active in record breaking and in May 1926 came away from Monza with a mind-boggling 126 in the bag. Although the machines used were 350s, they proved fast enough to take records in the 500cc, 600cc, 750cc and 1,000cc classes as well!
The machine offered here represents the 350 Grand Prix Garelli in its final incarnation. In this form the slit-single engine produced a maximum of 20bhp at 4,500rpm, which was good enough for a top speed of over 130km/h (81mph). Note the heat dissipating copper flange between the cylinder and head, and the combination of straight and megaphone exhaust pipes. A petroil mix of 17% was used to lubricate the engine, which was built in unit with a two-speed gearbox. This actual machine is featured on the front cover of 'Agrati Garelli: 80 anni di storia' by Daniele Agrati and Poberto Patrignani and was tested by Alan Cathcart for an article in Classic Racer magazine circa 1983. A revised version of this article is scheduled for publication in the February 2013 edition of The Classic MotorCycle.
Sold for
€29,900
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Garelli 348 cm3 Moto Course1926
Cadre n° 522
Moteur n° G132
L'équipe officielle Garelli abandonna la compétition à la fin de la saison 1924, mais pendant quelques années, des Garelli continuèrent d'être pilotées avec succès par des compétiteurs privés. Un de ces derniers, Ermino Visioli, fut responsable de la première participation d'une Garelli au TT de l'île de Man en 1926. La machine de Vistoli impressionnante avec ses quatre carburateurs et ses deux échappements à chambres de détente et sorties en queue de poisson devait avoir une sonorité sensationnelle. Malheureusement, la complexité de la machine fut aussi son point faible car Visioli fut contraint à l'abandon au troisième tour du TT Junior quand un câble d'accélérateur cassa.
En Italie, l'usine continua ses attaques sur les records et en mai 1926 revint de Monza avec un incroyable record à 126 km/h. Bien que les machines fussent des 350, elles furent assez rapides pour s'imposer aussi dans les catégories 500, 600, 750 et 1000 cm3 !
Cette machine représente la Garelli 350 GP dans sa version finale. Sous cette forme, le deux-temps à deux cylindres et chambre commune donnait 20 ch à 4 500 tr/min suffisant à garantir une vitesse supérieure à 130 km/h. On notera la bride antithermique en cuivre entre le cylindre et la culasse et la combinaison de tubes d'échappement à passage direct et à mégaphone. Le moteur était alimenté et graissé avec un mélange à 17 pour cent d'huile et la boîte intégrale offrait deux rapports. Cette machine illustrée sur la couverture de l¹ouvrage « Agrati Garelli ; 80 anni di storia » par Daniele Agrati et Roberto Patrignani a été essayée par Alan Cathcart pour un article paru dans le magazine Classic Racer vers 1983. Une version révisée de cet article est prévue pour publication dans le numéro de The Classic Motorcycle de février 2013.
Category: Motoring / Motorcycles
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