MV Agusta Magni 862cc Racing Motorcycle

Frame no. none Engine no. 214-0281

• Rare Magni-built MV Agusta
• Built as a tribute to the '500' that claimed MV's last Grand Prix win
• Ridden by Giacomo Agostini at Mallory Park
• Last ridden in 2019 at Paul Ricard

Motorcycle race engineers are rarely household names but one exception to this general rule is the legendary Arturo Magni. Born in Usmate Velate, Milan in 1925, Magni started his motorcycle career in 1947 in Gilera's racing department. The Arcore factory had decided to return to Grand Prix racing, and Arturo Magni was employed assembling the new four-cylinder engine designed by Piero Remor, co-creator of the pre-war OPRA and CNA Rondine fours. Gilera would go on to win six 500cc World Championships with this engine, courtesy of Messrs Duke, Masetti and Liberati.

In 1949 Count Domenico Agusta tempted Remor away from Gilera to design MV Agusta's first four-cylinder race engine. Magni followed him in 1950 as chief mechanic and later managed the racing department during MV's Grand Prix 'golden age'. Under Magni's direction MV won no fewer than 75 World Championships.

When MV retired from Grand Prix racing in 1976, Magni and his two sons set up their own company in Samarate, producing performance parts for the MV Agusta 750 street bikes, including big-bore kits, special frames, and chain-drive conversions. Magni commenced production of motorcycles under his own name in 1980, initially using the Honda CB900 engine, with BMW, Moto Guzzi and Suzuki-engined models following. In the mid-1980s Magni commenced what would turn out to be an immensely fruitful association with Moto Guzzi.

Yet despite all his latter-day successes with Moto Guzzi, Magni's name will forever be linked with that of MV Agusta, whose reputation this great engineer did so much to forge. The first MV model officially to bear his name was the 'Monza Arturo Magni', a stretched (to 832cc) version of the 750S America. Official production of the Magni, together with that of all MV Agusta's other models, ended in February 1979, although Arturo and his sons Carlo and Giovanni continued to create bespoke MVs to special order, such as that offered here.

This particular machine was built as a tribute to the '500' that claimed MV's last Grand Prix victory, which was secured by Giacomo Agostini at the Nürburgring on 29th August 1976. The MV has been paraded around Europe for many years: at Dijon, Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps, Dundrod, Imola, Hockenheim, Aragon, the Isle of Man and many more. Giacomo Agostini rode it at Mallory Park (see photographs on file).

Last ridden at Paul Ricard in 2019, this machine has been maintained with no expense spared over the years and always kept in dry storage when not in use. The engine oil has been changed after each outing and the private vendor advises the MV runs well and sounds wonderful.