Moto Guzzi celebrates past – and looks to future

Moto Guzzi celebrated its 90th anniversary with a huge three-day festival at the weekend – and looked forward to a brighter future.

As these pictures show an estimated 30,000 people from more than 50 countries came to Guzzi’s historic factory at Mandello del Lario, Italy for GMG 2011 (‘Guzzi World Days’) making this year’s event, on the 90th anniversary of its founding in 1921 the biggest yet.

The streets were crammed with fans who got to experience factory tours, ride outs and were kept entertained with barbeques and beer tents.

Moto Guzzi also used the event to announce news of not only a brand new engine due in 2013 but also plans for an all new factory built alongside the historic facility which will be preserved as a tourist and heritage site.

“We have decided to keep the Moto Guzzi of the past and make a Moto Guzzi of the future,” said Roberto Colaninno, chairman and chief executive of Piaggio Group.

“We are going to build a new factory over the next three years and restore and rebuild the historic factory too. That’s part of our heritage and part of what we are.”

For the full story see this week’s MCN.