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The history of the founding of Benelli Company looks quite unusual in comparison with the stories of the creation of most other automobile and motorcycle enterprises. It is strange even because a woman held her hands to the success of Benelli.
| Information about the company Benelli | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| Founder | Giuseppe Benelli Giovanni Benelli Francesco Benelli Filippo Benelli Domenico Benelli Antonio “Tonino” Benelli |
| Headquarters | Pesaro, Italy |
| Parent | Qianjiang Group |
| Official website | www.benelli.com |
Living with her family in the small town of Pesaro, the population of which does not exceed 100,000 people even today, Teresa Benelli founded her own company to provide work for her six sons, two of whom had already come of age at that time.
For the first five years, this business allowed the family to get by but did not bring a significant profit. At that time, the company specialized in repairing cars and bicycles. However, force majeure circumstances positively influenced the development of the company.
In 1916 there was a compelling earthquake in Italy, which ‘scattered’ the city of Pesaro quite a lot. The tears of the Benelli family knew no bounds, for nature was not merciful to their modest workshop. But the sons of Theresa, the youngest of whom was already 15 years old at that time, built a new building in which they set up the production of a small motor for bicycles with a volume of 75 cubic centimeters.
Since then, vehicle repairs have become only a temporary means of the family’s existence. The elder brothers focused on developing more serious engines and then decided to install them on bicycles independently. This is how the first Benelli motorcycle was created in 1921, which was equipped with a 98-cc two-stroke power unit.
In those years, the best advertising of the company which was engaged in the development of motorcycles and cars was a successful participation in racing competitions. Benelli brothers realized it in time, and they took advantage of the inclination of the youngest brother Tonino to motorcycle races with great pleasure. He brought several significant victories to the first bikes of the company, and the recognition of the developments of the newly created enterprise increased several times.
In 1927, a 175-cc 4-stroke motorcycle was released. Soon it received two modifications: by 1928 it was produced with engines with a volume of only in 175, but also in 250 and 500 cubic centimeters. These bikes turned out to be so lucky that they all became one of the best-selling motorcycles on the Italian market at once. And Benelli Company itself became one of the leaders of the Italian motorcycle production.
Besides their perfect arrangement, Benelli motorcycles differed from many other bikes of those times in their design. This allowed the company not only to conquer motorists from all corners of Italy but also to win competitions. Tonino Benelli became one of the brightest motorcycle racers of the 1920s and 1930s. However, the most significant success came to the team in 1938, when all three prizes of the Italian Grand Prix in the class of 250 cubic centimeters were taken by Benelli motorcycles.
The Second World War spoiled the dynamics of the enterprise, the plant of which was bombed by the Allies, quite a lot. But right after the end of the war, in 1947, Benelli brothers who had made a good fortune by that time were able to rebuild it and resume their work on motorcycles.
In 1950, a new sports victory came - Dario Ambrosini won the World Championship on a modified 1938 motorcycle, winning all races except one. However, the tragic death of this phenomenal rider in 1951 forced the Benelli Company to withdraw from motorcycle racing.
Having developed several road bikes that were impressive enough in the 1950s, the company reminded its numerous fans of Benelli’s capabilities. And at the beginning of the next decade, the company’s long-awaited return to motorcycle sport took place. Equipped with a 250-cc four-cylinder unit, the Benelli motorcycle immediately became a serious competitor to the giants of the Japanese motorcycle industry (Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha), which had already managed to penetrate the European market by that time. In 1969, Australian racer Kel Carruthers won the championship in the 250cc class. Note that the winning Benelli motorcycle was equipped with an 8-speed gearbox, a 16-valve cylinder, and a 64-horsepower engine that developed 14,500 rpm.
In 1971, entrepreneur Alejandro De Tomaso, also known for his work with Maserati and the founding of his automotive firm De Tomaso, acquired one of Italy’s most successful motorcycle companies - Benelli. He slightly changed the focus of the enterprise and decided to concentrate on the mass production of mopeds and scooters.
However, the development of powerful bikes did not completely cease. In 1972, the Benelli Sei motorcycle was released, which became the first road bike with a 6-cylinder engine in the history of motorcycle production. The power unit of this model had a volume of 750 cc. Ten years later, the motorcycle was successfully modified: the version of the early 80s was equipped with a great motor with a volume of 900 cc.
Despite the presence of new successful models, the mid-80s marked a decline for the enterprise, and in 1989 its ownership changed again. The new owner of Benelli Company was Giancarlo Selci, under whom the company began to produce exclusively light 50-cc mopeds. However, this production existed mainly for the sake of receiving state benefits. The primary activity of the company was the development of woodworking machinery.
The situation changed in 1997 when Andrea Merloni bought the company. Under his leadership, it began production of scooters, and in 1999 the first new motorcycle in fifteen years was presented. It was a sports model, the Tornado 900, which, however, was too far from what fans of the 90-year-old brand had hoped for. Soon the Benelli TNT 1130 motorcycle debuted, but it was also unsuccessful.
In 2005, the production of motorcycles was shut down, but not for long. The Korean concern Qianjiang, which started working on motorcycle equipment in 1985, acquired Benelli, and soon the production capacities were practically restored. To date, this corporation produces about one and a half million motorcycles and two million engines a year, and Benelli manufactures a considerable proportion of them.
If we believe the assumptions of experts, Benelli will meet its centenary as one of the leaders in the world motorcycle production.