• Rare Italian competition motorcycle
• Class winner at the 1956 Milan-Taranto
• An older restoration by a specialist

Few motorcycle enthusiasts outside its native Italy are likely to have heard of Ceccato, though its stylish and well-made products are unmistakably Italian. The company was founded in the mid-1930s by pharmacist Pietro Ceccato, occupying premises at Montecchio Maggiore and then Alte Ceccato near Vicenza in northern Italy. Ceccato manufactured industrial equipment, and only turned to motorcycle making after WW2, commencing in 1948. The company started out by producing a 38cc (later 48cc) moped - the Romeo - before developing a range of lightweight motorcycles. Argentina was a major market, where Ceccato's motorcycles were marketed under the 'Zanella Ceccato' name.

In 1953, Ceccato bought the design (originally offered to Mondial) for a 75cc double-overhead-camshaft engine from the legendary Fabio Taglioni, who would be responsible for Ducati's desmodromic valve system. That engine, Taglioni's first, brought him to the attention of Ducati, and following a spell with Mondial he joined the company in 1954.

While five of Ceccato's DOHC racers were built, the modified single-overhead-camshaft Corsa model was the mainstay of the company's racing efforts, its lighter weight (70kg or 154lb) being more suitable for long distance road races such as the Moto Giro d'Italia. Indeed, Ceccato motorcycles won the 75cc class of the Moto Giro at least once. With a maximum of 7bhp available at 10,500rpm, the 75cc Ceccato had a top speed of around 110km/h (68mph).

As well as motorcycles, Ceccato produced bicycles, air compressors, gas cylinders and service station equipment, and remained active in those fields after it ceased motorcycle manufacture in 1963. It is still in existence today.

This rare Ceccato Corsa has been signed on the fuel tank by Vittorio Zito, whose bike it was, and was used by him to win the 75cc class in the 1956 Milan-Taranto race. Believed to be an older restoration by a specialist, this exquisite little gem of a motorcycle is offered with correspondence, a selection of photographs, and some photocopied literature.