• One of an estimated 70 made
• 2nd in class in the 1955 Milan-Taranto race
• Restored by Giancarlo Morbidelli

The now-defunct Italian manufacturer Motobi is closely related to Benelli. Italy's oldest surviving motorcycle manufacturer, Benelli was founded in Pesaro in 1911 by the six Benelli brothers, starting out as a general engineering firm repairing cars and motorcycles before turning to the manufacture of automotive and aircraft components in WWI. The firm diversified into the field of powered transport immediately after hostilities ceased, offering a two-stroke 'clip-on' power unit for attachment to a bicycle, and it was this 98cc engine, installed in a purpose-built set of cycle parts, which was used for the first proper Benelli motorcycle of 1921. Within a few years the firm was actively engaged in competitions, taking the first steps along a path to Grand Prix glory that would see Benelli established as one of Italy's foremost racing marques post-WW2.

In 1949 the eldest of the six Benelli brothers, Giuseppe, left to found his own company: Moto 'B' Pesaro, later Motobi. The latter's first design was a 98cc single-cylinder two-stroke lightweight with horizontal engine, a layout that would characterise its offerings from then onwards. In the early 1950s a new range of all-aluminium engines was introduced whose profile resembled that of an egg or rugby ball, and this style was deliberately retained when Motobi switched to overhead-valve four-strokes towards the decade's end. Six years after Giuseppe's death in 1957, Motobi merged with Benelli and its models continuing to be manufactured, although often with 'Benelli' on the tank.

One of an estimated 70 made, this rare, two-stroke, twin-cylinder Motobi was ridden by Benito Mariani to 2nd in class and 8th overall in the 1955 Milan-Taranto race (see photographs and Motobi advertisements on file). Mariani's was one of seven Motobi works entries in the '55 Milan-Taranto, one of which, ridden by Silvano Rinaldi, won its class and came home 7th overall. In a remarkable display of speed and reliability, Motobis filled the first five places in the 250cc category. Restored by Giancarlo Morbidelli, this beautiful Gran Sport would – following re-commissioning – be an ideal mount for the 2020 Moto Giro d'Italia.