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►Though not often well represented in this
country, Gilera has performed spectacularly on European tracks in years when it
fielded a team. This winter factory chiefs at Arcore, Italy, decided to drum up
a little interest for their machines on this side -of the Atlantic by sending
their $50,000 multiple Grand Prix winner on a nationwide tour of U. S. Gilera
showrooms, where American cycle bugs could get a first-hand look at the unusual
road racer. Upon first
acquaintance with the diminutive beast you say to yourself, "This is fifty
grand?" But on closer inspection you can see that castings for the unorthodox
engine must have run into several thousand dollars by themselves. Add to these
the many hand-machined parts on the inside and you can see where the money went.
The 500cc, four-stroke,
air-cooled mill has four cylinders in line, the cylinder arrangement running
crosswise on the frame. Dual overhead camshafts are gear driven at their centers
and the heads are cast in two units, bolting together at the center. Thus, the
two inner cylinder barrels have considerably more space between them than
between the two left or two right. The barrels are individually cast.
Ever since the engine's design
in 1947 the company has been extremely secretive about it. Wherever it raced,
the team was accompanied by a group of guards who kept everyone but Gilera
factory people away from the pits. Re-entering the racing scene in 1963 after a
six-year absence, Gilera resumed this attitude and continues it today, even
though an example of the machine is on display.
Thus, it is very difficult to
get any concrete information about it. Bore, stroke, compression ratio, casting
materials and many other specifications are still kept secret. We do know,
however, that the 500 cc model (30.5 cu. in.) develops 80 bhp at something over
10,000 rpm. That's better than 23 horses per cube, and that ain't hay. Even more
surprising, however, is the 350cc 70 bhp model.
Between 1948 and 1957 Gilera
won 11 world championships with this bike. Returning in '63, the factory team
immediately won the Italian Grand Prix and went on to a number of other
important victories.
Probably the reason behind
Gilera's secrecy at this time is their intention to place a road version on the
market some time in 1965, marking the first time this engine design has been
available to the public. The road machine will be considerably detuned to allow
for less expensive internal components, giving the machine at least some measure
of competitiveness in price. Even at that, it will be an expensive bike,
possibly the most expensive 500cc model on the market.
You can see that to publicize
details of the racing version might put a damper on sales when the detuned
version appears, especially if it comes in with less than 50 bhp, as it probably
will. But whatever specs it sports, we look forward to its introduction as one
of the most exciting events in motorcycling in recent years.■ |
Competition 
