Italian Racing Motorcycle Museum Threatened With Liquidation

The small seaside town of Pesaro, Italy (just east of San Marino, on the Adriatic coast) is home to the Motorcycle Museum of Giancarlo Morbidelli, for now. A 32,000 (yes, thousand) square foot space is dedicated to displaying racing motorcycles, the production dates of which span the entirety of the 20th century, but its very existence is in peril.

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Classic antique motorcycles by Benelli, Bultaco, Ducati, Honda, Matchless, Moto Morini, Harley-Davidson; production bikes, prototypes, race champions and more join the Morbidelli racing motorcycles on display. They are arranged by production date and displayed on pristine stands which line the halls of the gorgeous building. Each has a case full of information and posters, history and memorabilia pertaining to the motorcycles displayed there. There is also a racing gallery with extensive history, trophies and souvenirs. In total there are about 350 motorcycles. The collection is a result of 25 years of work on Giancarlo Morbidelli’s part.

Due to lack of funds and disagreements with the local authorities, however, it looks as though the entire collection might have to be liquidated. The 85-year-old Morbidelli apparently will give tours on demand, but the museum is not open to the public and does not have regular hours.

This sort of liquidation is heartbreaking to those of us who love these machines and very much want to see them collected like this, well loved and well lit. Too few motorcycle museums already exist in the world. This would be an extreme loss.

That said, we will keep an eye on this news, and if the sale does happen we will let you know where and when, because the opportunity to own one of these machines will not come around again in our lifetimes. The pieces of history and racing memorabilia alone will fetch high prices to collectors around the world.

There is no further information about any attempt to save the museum, no word on a salvage attempt or any fundraising. If you hear anything (or if you’re local to the museum itself, and can go find out) let us know!

Source: Museo Morbidelli, Motociclismo Italy 

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