GD Ghirardi by Phil Aynsley Photography

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Brothers Mario and Gherardo Ghirardi, together with Guido Dall'Oglio, established Fabbrica Italiana Motocicli (using the brand name GD) in 1923 in Bologna to produce bikes powered by the Dall'Ogio designed 122cc 2-stroke single. The bikes were among the best in their class and finished 1st & 2nd in the Italian championship in 1924 with riders Renato Sceti & Mario Cavedagni. Cavedagni went on to found his the CM brand and in 1926 Dall'Ogio left to start his own company ( here - at which stage the original GD name was changed to GD Ghirardi. A 350 OHC model was briefly produced in 1928-29. The company ceased production in 1931. However in 1935 they restarted with new models before switching to armaments manufacture. After WWII the company produced automatic packaging equipment and is currently a world leader in this field. This 1927 Corsa Alfa 2 has a 2 speed gearbox and a top speed of about 60kph. Photographed near Bologna, Italy. 2013 by Phil Aynsley Photography