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Gilera Saturno 500

Gilera Saturno 500Gilera Saturno 500Gilera Saturno 500Gilera Saturno 500Gilera Saturno 500
Gilera Saturno 500
Lot number 27
Hammer value £6,200
Description Gilera Saturno 500
Year 1947
Colour Red
Engine size 500 cc
Chassis No. 262514
Engine No. 265406

When it first went on sale to the public in 1946, the Saturno caused a sensation. With a mixture of thoroughbred looks, manly performance and race pedigree, it had a mythical reputation that made it the model every red-blooded Italian wanted to own. 

“The war surplus bikes didn’t impress. The new generation of English and German machines were far away, almost unknown. The Moto Guzzi Falcone had yet to be born .The Saturno reigned supreme,” wrote Carlo Perelli, editor of the famous Italian magazine Motociclismo.

Designed in the late 1930s by the talented engineer Giuseppe Salmaggi, it was built to compete in the new 500cc Clubman’s class of racing which required that at least 50 bikes per year should be produced. Six racing prototypes had been built by 1940, winning various national events with the famous Gilera works rider, Massimo Masserini, at the controls. Unfortunately the war then got in the way but amazingly, by 1946, the Saturno was ready to go back on sale as a street bike.

It was powered by a four-stroke 2-valve OHV pushrod single of 499cc capacity which, in race spec, was capable of producing 38bhp. Of clever unit construction and weighing in at 170kg (374lbs) dry, it was good for 85mph flat out. The Saturno was available in three principle versions, Tourist, Sport and Competition, although a detuned version was also supplied to the reborn Italian police force.

Early bikes had girder forks and a unique patented rear suspension design whereby the spring coils were mounted horizontally to the frame in tubes, with friction dampers attached between the lower rear fork and the spring tubes. In 1950 more conventional hydraulic suspension was adopted front and rear. Handling was exemplary for its day as were the powerful brakes and the Saturno excelled on twisty road circuits and race tracks.

Unfortunately its high cost, equivalent to buying a small apartment, made the Saturno accessible to only a very few in a nation demolished by war and only around 5,000 were sold between 1946 and 1958. An iconic model from the golden years of the Italian motorcycle industry, the Saturno is increasingly sought after today.

Dating from 1947, this particular Saturno formed part of a large collection in Denver, Colorado, before the current vendor acquired it in 2009. Little is known of the history of the bike but it has clearly been well-restored at some point and it remains in impressive condition today. Unused in the last few years, it will doubtless benefit from some precautionary recommissioning before being put back into service. Supplied with an American Certificate of Title, it has not yet been UK registered but all import duties have been paid.
 

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