1956 FB Mondial 125/175cc Bialbero Racing Motorcycle
1956 FB Mondial 125/175cc Bialbero Racing Motorcycle
Engine no. 14
• Ultra rare Italian racing motorcycle
• Was formerly part of the Guy Webster collection
F.B. Mondial was started by the Boselli brothers as in Fratelli Boselli, or FB, in 1929. One of the brothers Giuseppe and Oreste Drusiani had worked in the motorcycle industry, Giuseppe as a partner in the G.D. company, Oreste as an engine designer and builder. But it is was not until 1948, in a new factory, that our story begins.
Oreste Drusiani's son Alfredo was asked to design and build a very modern and sophisticated DOHC 125cc single cylinder motor, around which Giuseppe could build a road racing motorcycle. With the two cams directly above the valves, the powerful engine, of course, revved freely. A Mondial 125 led its first race in 1948 at Monza but it was the following year with the creation of the GP World Championship that a Mondial 125 repaid the investment and won every 125cc class GP that year, and the two following, 1950 and 1951.
Dottore Fabio Taglioni – best known for his later incredible work with Ducati - was hired in 1952 to work with Drusiani. A year later with Drusiani's departure, Taglioni was asked to redesign their fabulous engine. In 1954 the DOHC single was now wet-sumped and had been pushed out to 175cc – with a choice of both a SOHC and DOHC heads - to add another racing class opportunity, together with a new frame with telescopic forks and singing arm rear suspension. And they conquered the series of long-distance races popular in Italy at that time, often beating the 250s, 350s and 500s for overall wins. Example: Tarquinio Provini won the 1954 Motogiro d'Italia outright in 1954 on a Mondial DOHC.
This 1956 FB Mondial 125/175cc DOHC road racer is extremely rare. It is not known what the actual capacity of the machine is but the DOHC's basic structure was always based on the 125cc, the 175 being simply an 'enlarged' 125. The Mondial racing department never built more than a handful of top-spec racers per season, and most have long disappeared and there is no factory record of this motorcycle left. What's most likely is that after the Mondial racing department closed its doors in 1977 the remaining race bikes and parts were bought by Piero Nerini and two partners. This bike is thought to have been built at that time from those newly released parts. The seller obtained the bike from the Guy Webster Collection based in Ojai, California a few years ago.
Nonetheless this is an ultra-rare, gorgeous looking, fifties, handcrafted, tool room Grand Prix road racing motorcycle that oozes 'mechanical patina' and its Italian heritage. Recently re-painted, it should be taken seriously by enthusiasts of that long-lost golden era of European 'road racing.' Accordingly, prospective bidders should satisfy themselves as to the authenticity and originality of the Lot prior to bidding.
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1956 FB Mondial 125/175cc Bialbero Racing Motorcycle
Engine no. 14
• Ultra rare Italian racing motorcycle
• Was formerly part of the Guy Webster collection
F.B. Mondial was started by the Boselli brothers as in Fratelli Boselli, or FB, in 1929. One of the brothers Giuseppe and Oreste Drusiani had worked in the motorcycle industry, Giuseppe as a partner in the G.D. company, Oreste as an engine designer and builder. But it is was not until 1948, in a new factory, that our story begins.
Oreste Drusiani's son Alfredo was asked to design and build a very modern and sophisticated DOHC 125cc single cylinder motor, around which Giuseppe could build a road racing motorcycle. With the two cams directly above the valves, the powerful engine, of course, revved freely. A Mondial 125 led its first race in 1948 at Monza but it was the following year with the creation of the GP World Championship that a Mondial 125 repaid the investment and won every 125cc class GP that year, and the two following, 1950 and 1951.
Dottore Fabio Taglioni – best known for his later incredible work with Ducati - was hired in 1952 to work with Drusiani. A year later with Drusiani's departure, Taglioni was asked to redesign their fabulous engine. In 1954 the DOHC single was now wet-sumped and had been pushed out to 175cc – with a choice of both a SOHC and DOHC heads - to add another racing class opportunity, together with a new frame with telescopic forks and singing arm rear suspension. And they conquered the series of long-distance races popular in Italy at that time, often beating the 250s, 350s and 500s for overall wins. Example: Tarquinio Provini won the 1954 Motogiro d'Italia outright in 1954 on a Mondial DOHC.
This 1956 FB Mondial 125/175cc DOHC road racer is extremely rare. It is not known what the actual capacity of the machine is but the DOHC's basic structure was always based on the 125cc, the 175 being simply an 'enlarged' 125. The Mondial racing department never built more than a handful of top-spec racers per season, and most have long disappeared and there is no factory record of this motorcycle left. What's most likely is that after the Mondial racing department closed its doors in 1977 the remaining race bikes and parts were bought by Piero Nerini and two partners. This bike is thought to have been built at that time from those newly released parts. The seller obtained the bike from the Guy Webster Collection based in Ojai, California a few years ago.
Nonetheless this is an ultra-rare, gorgeous looking, fifties, handcrafted, tool room Grand Prix road racing motorcycle that oozes 'mechanical patina' and its Italian heritage. Recently re-painted, it should be taken seriously by enthusiasts of that long-lost golden era of European 'road racing.' Accordingly, prospective bidders should satisfy themselves as to the authenticity and originality of the Lot prior to bidding.
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Time, Location
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