Giovanni Parrilla was born in 1911 of Spanish parents who immigrated to Italy and settled in the northern town of Mantua. Mantua happened to be the birthplace of Tazio Nuvolari, one of racing’s greatest drivers; he was nineteen when Parrilla was born. Nuvolari’s career began on a motorbike, and he was hitting his stride just as Parrilla entered his teens. This connection with celebrity infatuated Mantua’s populace – none more so than young Parrilla who fell in love with all manner of racing, but particularly motorcycle racing. After a long and winding road including military service, Parrilla built his first motorcycle in 1946. It was meant to be lighter, faster, and more beautiful than his favored British Norton, and it immediately proved itself on the track in the hands of a less-than-talented rider. With this success under his belt, Parrilla founded his company, naming it “Moto Parilla” – removing an “r” from his name to make it easier to pronounce in Italian. His love of dogs was revealed in his choice of mascot – the greyhound. Here on craigslist is an example of Parrilla’s craftsmanship, a derelict Olimpia 125 cc two-stroke located in Bruce, Wisconsin. The price is $450.
Parrilla’s expertise lay in the racing end of the spectrum, but the company soon realized that fast bikes alone would not pay the bills. Meanwhile, the landscape began to change. Figurative in the shift was Fiat’s introduction of its 600 sedan – a car that was cheap, could transport the entire family and provided weather protection. An inexpensive, simple road bike was needed, to attempt to combat the incursion of Fiats into garages everywhere. Parrilla began designing workhorse engines. This engine debuted in 1957 in both two- and four-stroke form, each hung with a Dell’Orto carburetor and making about 8 hp. The Olimpia itself was produced starting in 1960. (Originally called the Impala, the name was likely changed to avoid tangling with General Motors and its trademarks.) It weighed only 167 lbs, and could achieve a top speed of 65 mph. A greyhound is stamped into the case.
Parrilla’s bikes were innovative from the beginning, with stiffer frames, big aluminum brakes, and better suspension than competitors. He enlarged his fuel tanks and streamlined their shape, maximizing range, eventually making them of aluminum for the weight savings. The Olimpia’s two-stroke model had the exhaust exiting on the right, and the bodywork was painted blue and gold; the four-stroke exhaust came out on the left, and the bodywork was red.
This bike has rust, but no title, front fender, seat upholstery or speedometer. The seller notes that the rear tail lamp is not original. An ambitious restorer could bring the bike to this condition, representing an example owned by Parrilla’s son Angelo and sold at Bonham’s in 2018 for £3,450. Or, we could resign ourselves to the notion that this beautiful bit of history and passion is best used as a donor, contributing to the restoration of a better prospect. What do you think?
Leave it to you Michelle to hunt down a mystery bike that was deleted from Craigslist then find out the history behind it. While Parilla is not a name known now by many casual riders, it was a big deal in its time.
Sorry! The post was still live when I finished the article…. I didn’t know it expired.
Regardless of the timing, it’s a good article about a line that has all but been forgotten. Never knew that about the founder.
I agree, tip of the hat, however,,,,it was Scotty G that identified this bike on the Bridgestone post. Still, a great writeup on a bike few have ever heard of. It clearly wreaks of Italian design and I could see PeeWee Herman riding something like this. The motorcycles we Americans were used to, didn’t have near the glitz. Nuts and bolts for all to see, or more accurately, easier to work on, but just to be on a HD or Limey was cool enough. Wasn’t until the 80s that motorcycles began some sort of body work. Now most look like some sort of giant bug. The new (cough) Electra Glide still looks like a motorcycle to me. It’s sad to see something like this in such poor shape, but small bikes are about the cheapest thing to restore, and I bet someone in Italy has everything you would need. When new these were pretty classy, I bet.
A motorcycle is a great way to start any driving career. 😎
It is hard to not like the design on these. Fantastic looking bikes like many of the small bore Ducati’s of the era. In mu opinion this was a steal at $450.
Nice bike. Love the greyhound!