Formerly the property of the late Carlo Ubbiali, 1956 MV Agusta 175 CSS Squalo Racing Motorcycle

• Iconic Italian production racer
• Present ownership since 2016
• Used sparingly
• 'Best Race Bike' at the 'Festival of 1000 Bikes', Mallory Park

In the mid-1950s many riders of MV Agusta's sporting 175 CS street bike went racing, giving a good account of themselves. Encouraged by the results, the factory decided to make a true production racer, dubbed the CSS Squalo ('Shark') for its lean, purposeful appearance. The rules forbade MV's double-overhead camshaft racing motor, so the Squalo was powered by a tuned version of the roadster's 175cc single-cam engine. Compression ratio was increased and a larger carburettor fitted, resulting in a useful increase in horsepower. Instead of the street bike's four-speed transmission, Squalo riders had five gears at their disposal. Adopting a lightweight racing-type frame helped shed around 30lb (13.6kg). Top speed increased to 150km/h (93mph). Future World Champions Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini learned their race-craft on Squalos.

The private vendor purchased this stunning MV Agusta CSS Squalo at a Berlin auction in September 2016, the previous owner being Mr Jan Cizek. The auction catalogue stated that the MV had formerly belonged to the late Carlo Ubbiali, the Italian motorcycle road-racer who dominated Grand Prix racing's smaller classes in the 1950s, winning six 125cc and three 250cc world titles.

The MV had been sold to Mr Cizek by Roberto Vergottini, who had purchased it from Carlo Ubbiali in 1998 (see purchase contract on file). The machine currently has a non-original SS four-speed engine installed: the original would have been a 5V (five-speed) racing unit. However, this SS engine does have the correct left-side casing and magneto assembly of a 5V race engine.

The fairing is glassfibre and correct for the era, and there are photographs on file of Ubbiali racing in 1957 with a glassfibre fairing identical to this machine's (his other bikes had a lower-nosed fairing made of aluminium). Our vendor has run the Squalo at a couple of events and it won the 'Best Race Bike' award at the 'Festival of 1000 Bikes' at Mallory Park where Ago presented a rosette and trophy (see photographs). The file of accompanying paperwork includes an instruction manual and a V5C document