1963 Moto Parilla 250cc High Cam Sport

Giovanni Parrilla produced his first motorcycle in 1946, dropping his surname’s second ‘r’ to call the machine a Parilla. Signor Parrilla owned a shop on the outskirts of Milan specializing in repairing diesel injector pumps, and he also held an agency for Bosch sparking plugs. That first Parilla motorcycle – a 250cc overhead-camshaft single-cylinder racer – was the work of Ing. Giuseppe Salmaggi, who already had the Gilera Saturno to his credit. In 1954 Parilla introduced the high-camshaft model for which it is best remembered. Built in various versions up to the company’s closure in 1964, it was a 175cc single featuring a chain-driven camshaft mounted on the side of the cylinder head, the two inclined valves being operated via short pushrods. Stunningly beautiful, the Parilla was also exceedingly quick, one not-yet-run-in competizione model being clocked at over 96mph by an American magazine. Not surprisingly the ‘high-cam’ model proved extremely successful on the racetrack, and enlarged versions of 200cc and 250cc capacity followed.

The motorbike offered

From the MotoTalbott Collection, this 1963 Moto Parilla 250cc High Cam Sport was a feature of the famed Art of the Motorcycle Show touring the US and Europe and then residing at the Guggenheim in New York for the static show. Since then, the bike has been on static display in the MotoTalbott Museum in Carmel, California, and was re-commissioned to ready it for sale, but further fettling may be necessary before returning it to regular Giro d’Italia duties.