1956 Moto Parilla 175cc “High Cam”

Moto Parilla began its illustrious jouney through motorcycle manufacture in the immediate post-war years. In 1946, Giovanni Parrilla employed the services of design engineer, Giuseppe Salmaggi, who already had the Gilera Saturno to his credit to design a 250cc overhead-camshaft single-cylinder racer. The firm went on to build a range of lightweight machines using two-stroke and four-stroke engines, and in 1952 at the Milan Show introduced the ‘high cam’ (camme rialzata) model for which it is best remembered. This was a 175cc single, built in Turismo and Competizione versions, which featured a chain-driven camshaft mounted on the side of the cylinder head, the valves being operated via short pushrods. Stunningly beautiful, Parilla’s production racer was also exceedingly quick, with close to 100mph performance. Not surprisingly the ‘high-cam’ model proved extremely successful on the racetrack, particularly in the USA, and enlarged versions of 200cc and 250cc capacity followed.

The motorbike offered

The 1956 Moto Parilla 175cc “High Cam” is offered in beautiful, restored condition from the MotoTalbott Museum in Camel, California. It has been re-commissioned to ready it for sale, but further fettling may be necessary before returning it to Giro d’Italia weapon status.