1911 - 1934
sIX BROTHERS - ONE STORY.
six men created a legend. It began in the spring of 1911, when widowed Teresa Benelli invested her family's entire capital in opening a workshop to provide stable employment for her six sons, Giuseppe, Giovanni, Filippo, Francesco, Domenico and Antonio "Tonino" Benelli. At first, it was just a garage for repairing and manufacturing spare parts for cars and motorcycles. But the six Benelli brothers had much higher ambitions: to manufacture motorcycles. Eight years later, in 1919, they unveiled their first engine, a 75cc 2T placed in a bicycle frame, but with unsatisfactory results. In December 1921, the first real Benelli motorcycle came out: the "Velomotore" with a 98cc 2T engine on a light frame, presented in 2 models, Touring and Sport (125cc), followed in 1943 by a 147cc version. With this model, Tonino Benelli began to win race victories, helping to make Pesaro a household name throughout Europe. In 1926, Giuseppe Benelli designed a new motorcycle, with a 175cc 4T camshaft engine combined with an innovative 4-speed gearbox. Its performance was equal to or better than that of larger-displacement motorcycles, leading to countless triumphs for Tonino Benelli: Italian Champion in 1927, 1928, 1930 and 1931.
The sales success of the 175cc (produced in various versions until 1934) led to factory expansion. In 1932, the Benelli brothers buy the Molaroni sawmill pavilions in 'Viale Principe Amedeo, which is now "Viale Mameli". In 1934, Benelli brings out two new racing bikes: a 250 with twin camshafts and a 500cc. In 1940, it launched a 500cc with side valves and a fantastic 4-cylinder, twin-camshaft racing bike with compressor that never saw the track. The outbreak of war forces the company to produce military motorcycles.
1940 - 1950
the Pesaro company is at the height of its success (800 employees work in the factory), but the Second World War destroys the factory. Allied bombing and Nazi despoilment reduced this great enterprise to a pile of rubble and empty sheds. But the Benelli brothers didn't give up, salvaging machines and equipment, and began converting some 1,000 military motorcycles - mainly of British origin - left in the battlefields by the Allies into motorcycles for civilian use. Motorcycle racing resumed in 1947. 1948 was a milestone for Benelli: the company hired racer Dario Ambrosini, and on October 14, the Benelli brothers announced their decision to continue producing motorcycles. The sporting success of the new Benelli led to Ambrosini's victory in the 250cc World Championship in 1950.
1950 - 1980
at the end of the '40s, Giuseppe Benelli leaves the company, due to irreconcilable disagreements with his brothers. This was also the start of the Motobi brand, with its egg-shaped 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines in small and medium displacements, which won over 1,000 race victories in the 50s and 60s. Benelli's manufacturing activity was stepped up in 1951 with the presentation of the "Leoncio", which met with great commercial success, especially when Benelli won Italy's first "Motogiro" in 1953 with racer Tararini. In 1961, the Pesaro-based company celebrated its 50th anniversary. To combat the crisis in the motorcycle industry, the Benelli and Motobi brands merged in 1962. During the 60s, Benelli and Motobi offered a wide range of models, from scooters to the "Tornado" (a 650cc 2-cylinder maxi motorcycle), Benelli's last original creation.
In 1972, the company was taken over by Argentine entrepreneur Alejandro De Tomaso, who relaunched the company by building a new, modern factory and offering an even wider range of vehicles, including multi-cylinder motorcycles and a prestigious 750cc 6-cylinder (the 1st motorcycle of this type in series production available for purchase by the general public).
1988 - 2015
japanese competition becomes increasingly fierce and technologically advanced. Benelli sales inevitably decline, and by 1988, Benelli is almost out of business. Industrial magnate Mr. Giancarlo Selci, owner of the Biesse Group, saves the glorious company from an uncertain future by purchasing it on October 23, 1989. The company now targets the scooter market with the Devil and Scooty models. After the first moments of euphoria and recovery, the outlook darkens again. In 1995, the Merloni Group of Fabriano acquired a majority stake in the historic brand. Andrea Merlino, Vittorio's son, became the company's new boss and relaunched the brand with the launch of the aggressive "491" scooter. This was followed by the launch of new projects, scooters and sports bikes such as the "Tornado 900cc 3-cylinder", which took part in the Superbike championship, and the TnT 1130cc. Despite this, Benelli faced a new crisis. In December 2005, Benelli became part of the Q.J. group. Thanks to its capital and the synergy between the Chinese group and the Pesaro center, Benelli Q.J. is currently working on multiple projects aimed at relaunching the Benelli brand worldwide.
In 2011, Benelli celebrated its first centenary...