• Ultra-rare factory bike
• Restored by former factory mechanic, Mauro Righi
• One of the last machines restored in the Morbidelli Museum's workshop

The ultra-rare machine offered here is purported to be a test-bed built around 1959 to evaluate the 62cc (or thereabouts) cylinder that would form the basis of Benelli's forthcoming 250cc four-cylinder Grand Prix engine.

When, in 1960, Benelli was forced to acknowledge that it needed a multi-cylinder machine to remain competitive in Grand Prix racing's 250cc class, the Italian firm was able to draw on past experience of this type if machine, having constructed a 'blown' quarter-litre four in 1939. Although it was first seen in 1960, the 250 Benelli four did not race competitively until April 1962, when Silvio Grassetti debuted the bike at Imola.

By 1969 the last of the Japanese manufacturers had pulled out of the World Championships, clearing the way for the Benelli fours to grab a slice of Grand Prix glory. Agostini and MV Agusta remained unassailable in the 350 and 500 classes, but in the 250 category Benelli-mounted Kel Carruthers eventually got the better of Kent Andersson's Yamaha and Santiago Herrero's Ossa, bringing the Championship back to Pesaro.

So, did Benelli's successful bid to win the 250cc World Championship commence with the machine offered here? It has to be said that the engine, with its wide angle between the valves, looks rather old-fashioned, and the Benelli 250 four that was first shown to the public in June 1960 had a much narrower valve angle. Furthermore, experimental engines never intended for actual competition use are usually evaluated on the test-bed, not on the racetrack. In appearance, this engine looks similar to the 250cc Benelli singles of the early 1950s, though why it was built into a working motorcycle remains a mystery, while the cycle parts appear typical of ultra-lightweight racers of the late1960s/early 1970s. Possibly this engine is one of a small batch built for the 'tiddler' classes of long-distance road races such as the Moto Giro d'Italia and Milan-Taranto but not used until someone had the idea of building them into complete motorcycles some 20 years later.

Believed one of very few built, this machine is said to have been tested by the great Eugenio Lazzarini. A future three-time World Champion, Lazzarini was a works Benelli rider only in his first year of Grand Prix racing (in 1969, aged 24), which would appear to support the conclusion that this machine dates from that period. Bought from the Benelli family, the machine was restored by former factory mechanic, Mauro Righi and is one of the last motorcycles to be restored in the Museum's workshop (around four years ago). It is not known if the engine is internally complete, nor if it runs.