The Ducati brand: from radio transmitters to luxury Italian motorcycles
It is sometimes interesting to look back at how the history of many brands developed. The Ducati brand, known for production of luxury Italian motorcycles, is accompanied by an especially interesting past.
From electric razors to engines
When the Cavalieri brothers established the Ducati brand with their father and a few other investors, they probably had not idea of what they would one day be engaging in. This is to say that they started out as a brand making radio transmitters, gradually expanding their field of production over the years. This came to include electric razors, cameras, cine-cameras and even telephones, which the public at that time were able to buy under the Ducati brand.
The brand did not start to engage in production of engines until 1946. The first engine was a four-stroke low-volume OHV, which was designed to be attached to bicycles. This means that they were fitted to the finished bicycle as they were supplied separately. This was the first great step forward and the brand was extremely successful with it.
The first luxury motorised bicycle and Fabio Taglioni
The first Ducati motorised bicycled first saw the light of day in 1947. It was named Cucciolo, which means puppy.
The brand found fame and even greater popularity when one of the most famous engineers of his time Fabio Taglioni joined the company. He is regarded by many as a legend and the brains behind the brand. It was Taglioni who created the excellent Desmodromic 125 motorcycle. He also determined the new direction to be taken by the Ducati company. Starting in 1970, the company started to manufacture V-twin engines.
Luxury in the form of the Ducati Paso 750
During the 80s, Massimo Bordi joined the company. He was a very gifted Italian engineer who, together with the designer Massimo Tamburini, created the revolutionary Ducati Paso 750.
Ducati motorcycles found fame due to their success at the Superbike World Championships, although crisis hit during the 1990s. The brand is currently owned by the German automotive group Volkswagen, which is considering selling it.
