Owned by Finmeccanica, Alenia Aermacchi (originally Aeronautica Macchi) was founded in 1912 and a manufacturer of seaplanes in its early days, is a world leader in the military trainer aircraft market.Like so many of Italy's companies, Aermacchi has a deep, rich history that demands some attention. After World War II, the company joined the lucrative motorcycle industry and selected a designer named Lino Toni from Benelli to lead it in that direction.
Aermacchi had an extremely successful and influential run in the motorcycle world and were eventually bought and sold by Harley-Davidson.
The factory was sold to a pair of brothers who eventually started another great motorcycle company: Cagiva.
For their parts, Benelli and Cagiva were originally engaged in firearms and small metal components - but that's for another post.
Some of the most interesting, groundbreaking, or just plain weird motorcycles that have been built over the past 100 years.
ReplyDeleteWithout doubt the quintessential American bike. I believe H-D recently purchased Italian bike manufacturer MV Agusta. In the world of customized bikes and designers it seems like Americans and Italians share a common interest. Thanks for the comment.
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