• Rare model
• Unusual engine design
• An older restoration by a specialist

Named after the roe deer, the Capriolo marque emerged in 1948 from the ashes of the giant Caproni group, formerly one of Italy's largest manufacturing concerns. Caproni had been founded in the first decade of the 20th Century as an aircraft manufacturer. Based in Taliedo, a suburb of Milan, Caproni made the first aircraft of Italian manufacture in 1911 and during World War I produced a series of successful heavy bombers used by the Allied air forces. Between the world wars, Caproni manufactured mostly bombers and light transport aircraft, and only turned to motorcycle production after WW2.

The firm commenced two-wheeled production with a 50cc ultra-lightweight before swiftly moving on to a 75cc model, the Capriolo 75, which was notable for its use of a pressed-steel frame and an unusual four-stroke engine of the overhead 'face cam' type, which also featured a longitudinal (rather than transverse) crankshaft. Sports versions won their class in the 1954 Milan-Taranto and 1955 Giro Motociclistico d'Italia, proving the effectiveness of this seemingly eccentric design.

At the Milan Show in November 1953, Capriolo launched the 'Cento 50', one of the very few Italian motorcycles to be powered by a BMW-style horizontally opposed engine. This was followed, in 1955, by the more conventional Capriolo 125, which featured a single-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine, the 'face cam' type having been temporarily dropped. When engineer Giovanni Caproni died in 1957, the company was reorganised and adopted the 'Aeromere' name, a shortened form of 'Aero Meccanica Regionale'. Its motorcycles continued to be badged as 'Capriolo' until production ceased in 1963.

A type rarely seen outside its native Italy, this charming Capriolo 75 Sport had been restored by a specialist prior to its acquisition for the Morbidelli Museum. Presented in beautiful condition, this rare machine is offered with an operating and maintenance manual (in Italian), a selection of photographs, and some marque-related literature (also in Italian).