From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 69 – first published in 2017.
Story: Peter Laverty • Photos: Vicki Smith, Chris Avakian, Jim Scaysbrook.
Parilla is not a name that springs immediately to mind when it comes to classic Italian motorcycles. But for two decades, the tiny company produced an amazing array of models, each imbued with highly original thinking.
Giovanni Parrilla (yes, the double ‘r’ is correct for his Spanish origin name, later dropped for ‘marketing’ reasons) had a little business in Ville Sabotino on the southeastern outskirts of Milan, where he repaired diesel injection pumps. Although WW2 was tough for everyone in Italy, Parrilla managed to make a good living via his agency for Bosch spark plugs, but like millions of other businessmen, was faced with re-establishing himself in very austere times. By 1946 he had enough capital and spare time to devote himself to a project; to produce a racing motorcycle for the sport that was quickly getting back on its feet in his country. Although he was the driving force, the initial design work was carried out by his friend Alfredo Bianchi, who also designed the company’s greyhound logo. Later, much of the design input was entrusted to another friend, Guiseppe Salmaggi; an engineer of considerable fame, having designed the venerable Gilera Saturno single, and a few years later, the marvellous miniature v-twin 250cc Lambretta racer that was primarily created to scare Moto Guzzi away from the scooter market – a case of, ‘if you meddle in our scooter scene, this is the sort of motorcycle we will come back at you with!’
Parrilla was an unashamed fan of the British overhead camshaft Norton, and his instruction to Salmaggi was that the new machine to bear his name (well, most of it) should look a lot like a Norton. Whether this was achieved is questionable, but the result was a 66mm x 72mm bore and stroke 250 single with the overhead camshaft driven by straight-cut bevel gears, and the new racer made its debut at the lakeside town of Lecco, just down the road from the Guzzi factory at Mandello del Lario, in October 1946. The full unit-construction racer, with its 4-speed gearbox, and gear-driven magneto was severely hampered by the poor quality fuel on which it was forced to run which restricted power to around 15hp at 6,200 rpm. The frame was a conventional design with a single down tube connecting to a cradle that ran to the rear to provide the support mounts for the plunger rear suspension, with girder forks up front. Very soon, Parilla’s own telescopic forks were fitted, along with a truly massive 260mm x 30mm front brake with an electron backing plate.
As development of the racer continued, a road-going version was designed and built, with both machines displayed at the 1947 Milan Show where they created considerable interest, being all-new designs in a sea of re-vamped pre-war models. Soon after, a twin-cam version of the racer appeared, with power up to 21 hp. The roadster, called the Sport, was quoted as producing 14 hp with a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h).
Gradually the small company grew in stature, although the racing team failed to gain many noteworthy results. A range of small two-strokes was added which stretched from a 100 (actually 98cc), 125 (available in both touring and sports versions) and a 250, all designed by Salmaggi. To cash in on the scooter craze, Parilla introduced the 125cc two-stroke Levriere (greyhound) in 1952, which was closer in concept to the Moto Guzzi Galetto than the Lambretta and Vespa scooters, having telescopic forks, large wheels and comprehensive bodywork, twin saddles and provision for carrying luggage. It was enlarged to 150cc and a 4th gear added in 1954, and was sold in USA as the Greyhound until production ceased in 1958.
One model that definitely did not share the svelte looks of its siblings was the Slughi (Desert Greyhound), which was made with both two stroke (125cc) and four stroke (99cc and 125cc) engines, both horizontally mounted. The Slughi, which was shown for the first time at the 1957 Milan Show as the replacement for the Levriere, featured all-enveloping bodywork and a pressed-steel frame. Renamed the Ramjet for the US market, it failed to attract buyers and was soon dropped from the American model line up. The Olimpia used the same horizontal two and four stroke engines, but with more conventional styling.
In 1953 a new engineer came on board, Ing. Soncini, who produced 250 and 350 twins, continuing the dog-themed names with the Setter and Veltro (hunting dog) respectively, but the twins were massively overweight and rather sluggish in performance. The twin cylinder engine had a central iron flywheel with an iron head and barrel which only compounded the weight issues. Later in the year, a 175cc single (known thereafter as the ‘high cam’) was added. Of all the models, the 175 became the main bread winner for Parilla, the road model selling reasonably well and a tuned version achieving fair success, including a victory in the Tour of Italy. Officially marketed in two versions, as the Sport or the Special, the 175 would define the overall shape of Parillas for the rest of the company’s history, which unfortunately was all too short. The ‘High Cam’ engine was a distinctively unique design, having the camshaft placed high in the timing chest, driven by a chain, with short pushrods operating rocker arms to the valves, which were set at 90 degrees. The 60mm x 62mm bore x stroke 175 ran a compression ratio of 8.5:1 and developed 14.5 hp at 8,200 rpm. The light alloy cylinder head had a shrunk-in combustion chamber skull made of brass. Ignition was by coil fed from a British Varley dry accumulator made under licence in Italy by Safa. The primary transmission was by helical gears to the in-unit four-speed gearbox. Poking out the front of the engine on the right side sat a finned tower which was the filler for the wet sump. A genuine 70 mph from a 175 was an enviable figure in 1953.
With an eye to export markets, Parilla sent a few bikes to USA in 1954 where Cosmopolitan Motors in Philadelphia became the main agent. By 1957 they had a full range in stock and were the main thrust of Parilla’s international sales; indeed, dictating model policy to a large extent. With much urging from the US, the 175 grew to a 200 and then a 250 in fairly short order. The 250 GS became a favourite with sport-minded riders, its racy styling (with rear-set footrests and dropped bars) and spirited performance a winning combination. As a throw-back to Giovanni Parrilla’s fondness for Nortons, the 250 GS (and many other models) was mainly produced in silver with black and red pin stripes on the tank. The 250 shared the same frame, tank and mudguards as the 175, and was joined by another US inspiration, the Wildcat – a street scrambler that was quite at home off-road despite sharing most of the components with the GS. The 250 also appeared in Europe as the Tourist, or the Trailmaster.
In the US, Parilla enjoyed considerable success across a wide discipline of categories within the sport; in road races, on dirt tracks, in what were called TT Scrambles, and in the early motocross events that were catching on. Orin Hall built a name for himself as a top Parilla tuner, sponsoring Norris Rancourt who enjoyed considerable success in road races. Again at the suggestion of Cosmopolitan, Parilla sent Giuseppe Rottigni to USA to compete in the European-style road races that were becoming increasingly popular. He brought with him two special 250 racers with gear drive to the camshaft, and he cleaned up wherever he appeared. Eventually he retired from racing but remained in the US to tutor up and coming riders. British star Tony Woodman took over as Parilla’s main rider in the US.
An unexpected fillip occurred in 1964 when the FIM World Championship came to USA on February 2nd at Daytona. In a 250cc Grand Prix where the favoured Yamahas all retired with engine seizures, and which was eventually won by Brit Alan Shepherd on a works MZ, ex-pat Englishman Ron Grant scored second place on a 5-speed Parilla Gran Sport – basically a race-tuned version of the 250 GS prepared by Orin Hall. But by now, Parilla himself had tired of the business and, faced with competition from the Japanese, could foresee tough times ahead. His exit strategy was to sell the company to an industrial combine called Societa Industriale Lombardia (SIL) in 1963, but the new arrangement was short-lived. When SIL went into liquidation in 1964, it took Parilla with it. Not surprisingly, Cosmopolitan Motors stepped into buy up surplus stock of motorcycles and parts, which kept the name afloat, at least in the US, until 1967 when the end came. In their 17 years of operation, Parilla produced a staggering array of models – as many as 130 different styles – although many were simply variations on a single model. In latter years they bolstered the income by producing go-kart engines, including a rotary-valve model that became a consistent winner in its class. Parilla go kart engines are still made today but by a company with no links to the original. Giovanni Parilla died in 1968.
While very few Parillas made their way Down Under during the company’s glory years, quite a number have been privately imported since. Back in September 1960, the long-established Modak Motorcycles in Elizabeth Street Melbourne imported a pair of 175 ‘Derivato’ models (sold in other markets as Sport) which were priced at £295/-/- ($590). This was on the pricey side compared to a new Honda 305cc Dream (£249/10/-), a Yamaha YDS2 (£255/-/-), or a 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub (£228/6/6), but both found homes, one going to Terry Merange who raced his for some time on Victorian circuits.
In 1990, Peter Simmonds, who had a sideline importing rare motorcycles from far-flung parts of the world, particularly South America, struck a deal with the management for the now-gone Cosmopolitan Motors to buy most of the remaining spares stock. This included quite a number of partly-finished and incomplete motorcycles, as well as a mountain of parts and complete 250cc engines. This inventory was shipped to Simmonds property in Moorooduc, Victoria, where he assembled several complete Gran Sport 250s and operated a business supplying Parilla parts world-wide. Ironically, the venture was short-lived and most of the consignment made its way back to the US, and from there to some European destinations, notably Germany.
Parilla continues to be a marque that attracts wide interest, and dedicated Parilla Days are held at infrequent intervals in Europe and USA.
Colorado calling
In August, 2015, the largest-ever gathering of Parilla motorcycles in the world took place at Colorado National Speedway. The event was hosted by Jim Dallarosa and featured motorcycles from the collection of Jim and Sharon Dillard. Some of the rarest Parilla racers were on display, along with a comprehensive selection of the road and off-road models. There were runs around the Colorado Speedway, static displays, and several rides including an excursion into the Rocky Mountains. These photos are by Vicki Smith.
A Parilla devotee
Chris Avakian, from Sydney’s Northern Beaches area, is a fiercely dedicated Parilla fan. He has perhaps the largest collection of the Milanese marque in Australia, and certainly believes his bikes should be ridden, and ridden hard. His stable includes a 250 Wildcat that enjoys frequent outings on dirt tracks, a 1957 Special that is regularly used for leisure riding, and a 250 GS that Chris rides, with noted success, in Historic road racing. Chris has attended several international Parilla gatherings, and made the trip to Colorado, USA in 2105 for what was the largest-ever event dedicated to the Parilla name.
A local lovely
SCR, located at Morisset on the NSW Central Coast, is more famous for its work on Ducati and Moto Guzzi, but proprietor Steve Craven has a fondness for anything Italian. His magnificent restoration of a 750GT MV Agusta featured in OBA 61, and here we have a Parilla 250 GS which is in excellent original condition.
This one is in what amounted to the final specification for the High Cam series, with 28mm Dell’Orto remote bowl carburettor, optional Smiths rev-counter, non-slip ‘suede’ seat cover, and even the original hand tyre pump attached to the front down tube.
Our thanks to Steve and Christine at SCR for the opportunity to photograph the 250 Parilla.
