Three genuine icons of Italian motorcycle racing comprise the newest titles in “The Motorcycle Files,” the series of e-books written by Alan Cathcart and published by BRG Multimedia.
They are the legendary Moto Guzzi V8, the Bicilindrica V-twin from the same factory and the four-cylinder 350 that was the final Grand Prix racing motorcycle from MV Agusta.
Moto Guzzi was the dominant manufacturer in the 350cc class of Grand Prix racing in the mid-1950s and the sensational V8 was the weapon it chose to make in an effort to take the premier 500cc category from Gilera and MV Agusta. It is still the only eight-cylinder motorcycle ever raced and had not reached its full potential when Moto Guzzi quit racing at the end of the 1956 season. Although the V8 never did win a Grand Prix, its specification alone, not to mention a win in the prestigious Imola Gold Cup and recording a speed of 178mph in the Belgian GP at Spa, was enough to guarantee it iconic status.
In contrast, the Moto Guzzi Bicilindrica 500cc V-twin did win the 1935 Isle of Man TT in the hands of Stanley Woods and many Grand Prix races after that. In fact, it kept on winning over a racing career spanning two full decades. The machine featured is the bike in its final form, as when it won the 1953 Spanish Grand Prix.
Covered by the final e-book in this release is a machine which truly represented the end of an era — the jewel-like 1976 MV Agusta four-cylinder 350, complete with titanium frame! Giacomo Agostini rode it to victory in the Dutch TT at Assen to suitably close the book on almost 30y years of highly successful Grand Prix racing activity for the famous Italian marque.
Each e-book in “The Motorcycle Files” series provides the reader with a full history of the subject machine, an in-depth technical analysis and track test riding impressions by Alan Cathcart. They are illustrated by rare archive material and superb digital photography, including many shots with fairings removed to give a close-up look at engine and chassis technology.
Priced at $3.99 each all 30 titles in “The Motorcycle Files” series are available for download from Amazon.
