[cycleworld.com] - Celebrating Arturo Magni and His Machines

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Under Arturo Magni’s leadership, MV Agusta won 75 World Championships.

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Il Maestro and one of his masterpieces: Arturo Magni aboard an MV Agusta 500 GP bike. As both technician and team manager, Magni had no peer. (Magni Collection/)Motociclette Gilera had a problem. Back in May 1947, the company was busy trying to develop its first four-cylinder 500cc GP racer. Chief project engineer Dr. Piero Remor needed a technical assistant, so Giuseppe Gilera hired a young 22-year-old to help out. He couldn’t have made a better choice: Arturo Magni was about to start a legendary career.

Magni had two great strengths: He was blessed with a solid knowledge of mechanics along with a natural talent for working with his hands. He was soon Dr. Remor’s top technician, and in 1950, when Remor left Gilera and moved to MV Agusta’s race department, he took Magni with him. Arturo was responsible for developing MV’s 500 four GP bike, the machine John Surtees rode to an impressive string of victories. When Remor left MV three years later, Magni stayed. With Count Domenico Agusta himself participating in the department directly, Magni, along with a team of draftsmen and technicians, was now engaged in all phases of development, refinement, and management. The results spoke for themselves.


Over his career, Magni and MV worked with a who’s who of legendary riders: Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, Phil Read, and many others. Here’s he’s shown with John Surtees, the only rider to win World Championships in both Grand Prix motorcycle racing as well as Formula 1. (Magni Collection/)The most notable example was MV Agusta’s legendary triple.

The three-cylinder machines raced in 350 and 500cc GP classes, which they came to dominate. A little backstory: MV’s four-cylinder 500 had grown heavy and clumsy, but the company had developed a strong 250 twin. Count Agusta had an idea: Hey, Magni, how about adding a third cylinder? The improvisational nature of the project was challenging, especially when it came to the complex press-fit crankshaft and crankcase torsional rigidity. Yet in the end Magni and his crew turned the MV triple into a real masterpiece, and Arturo showed himself to be the epitome of a straight, precise, supercompetent team manager. MV Agusta was the most disciplined and dedicated racing team in the paddock: no drama, no gossip, no discussion.

When this was combined with the talents of the great Giacomo Agostini, MV was completely dominant, even in the face of extremely fierce competition.

Related: Magni’s Italia Is Lightness and Beauty in a Classic Shape


In his second career as a builder, Magni never strayed from his recipe for success. In the back you see an original MV 750 Sport. In the foreground is a special edition powered by a Suzuki 1200 engine, and an 800 Tributo. (Magni Collection/)MV’s aviation division was cooperating with some of the major US aerospace companies, which gave them access to the latest space-age alloys and treatments. Thanks to his technical knowledge, Magni was in a position to exploit these to his advantage. But trick metals alone hardly guarantee success; Magni’s genius was in using cutting-edge techniques and materials to their best effect, with no waste or useless overindulgence.


Classic Magni design—a Filorosso 800 triple. (Magni Collection/)Magni became the most successful team manager in the history of the sport because he kept every aspect under his competent control, from the technical development of the bikes to the sharpest strategy for each race. He kept the MV Agusta 350/500 triple evolving in terms of both engine and chassis potential. Watching Mino Agostini on the MV three was like watching him perform with the perfect dance partner.

When the triple reached its performance potential, Magni and his men started drawing up a new four-cylinder machine. This became a major challenge: Count Domenico Agusta had died in 1971, and his brother Count Corrado Agusta had much more passion for the aero side of the business. Yet Arturo was able to keep everything together, and in 1973 the new MV Agusta 500 four debuted, ridden with resounding success by the great Phil Read.


Magni’s racers were so successful because he was so completely involved, leaving nothing to chance. When he was in charge, MV Agusta’s race team was the most professional in all of motorcycle racing. (Magni Collection/)Still, time was drawing short for MV Agusta racing. New management hired Giuseppe Bocchi, who came up with a rather improbable longitudinal boxer four. Magni dutifully attempted to develop the new engine while at the same time expressing his concerns about developing an efficient and compact chassis around it. Once again, Magni proved correct.


A restored Moto Magni 800 Italia with an MV powerplant. Note the signature curving exhausts. About as beautiful a motorcycle as there’s ever been. (Magni Collection/)When MV Agusta shut down all motorcycling activity, Magni was forced to move on. He decided to open his own shop and was soon joined by his sons; Carlo, an engineer, and Giovanni, a marketing specialist. That was in 1977, making this year the 45th anniversary of Magni Moto. Arturo’s shop produced a series of* “specials” which celebrate the image and the charm of the great MV Agusta models by adopting the racers’ double-cradle frame design and adapting it to a number of different engines. The partnership with Moto Guzzi was particularly fruitful, as Guzzi supplied Magni Moto with a substantial number of its legendary V7 powerplants.


A very rare BMW-powered Magni special, using a 1,000cc boxer twin. (Magni Collection/)Today, Giovanni and Carlo Magni keep the home flag flying. Access to the current MV Agusta 800 triple keeps everything legitimate. With this new engine, the circle is complete: the unforgettable personality and style of the MV Agusta racers realized in a shop created by the man who led the team to 75 world titles, a record unequaled among European manufacturers.

This year marks two important anniversaries. The first is the 75th anniversary of Arturo Magni’s professional activity; the second the 45th anniversary of Magni Moto. The official celebration will be from June 10–12 this year, at Circuit Paul Ricard. Magni Moto owners will have a special section of the pit and parking areas set aside during the 2022 Sunday Ride Classic. Interested? If you’re a member of the Magni Owners Club, contact Magni for more information.

Also, the 26th MV Agusta Revival and the 15th Magni Owners Meeting will take place on July 9–10, in Cascina Costa, Italy. Both occasions will offer plenty of opportunities to remember Arturo Magni, his great successes, and his passion for motorcycling, all kept well alive by his sons Giovanni and Carlo.


The grand old man himself: Arturo Magni flanked by his two sons, Carlo and Giovanni. (Magni Collection/)