Vanguard Moto Guzzi V8 in the driving report

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Vanguard Moto Guzzi V8 in the driving report

Very big in shell

It’s an original conversion: no cafe racer, no naked bike and certainly no scrambler – but a tribute with eggshell cladding to the Moto Guzzi V8, the most exotic racing roll of all time.

They are rare pieces: motorcycles that hardly anyone has seen in action, but whose names everyone knows anyway. One of these rare examples is the Moto Guzzi V8, the only eight-cylinder to ever start in the Grand Prix. Only for two years, namely 1956 and 1957, and without ever clinching a victory there. And yet surrounds the exotic V8 an almost mystical aura to this day. Constructed over 60 years ago, the 500 produced a sensational 79 hp for the conditions at the time, turned up to a dizzying 14,000 rpm and was measured at a breathtaking 286 km / h on the long straights of the Spa circuit. Unfortunately, Moto Guzzi withdrew from racing at the end of 1957, just as the V8 had overcome its teething troubles such as burst radiator hoses or an incorrect temperature display. This retreat fueled the legend even more: What would the fascinating V8 machine have managed to do if Guzzi had just left it?!

Vanguard Moto Guzzi V8 in the driving report

Very big in shell

From jumbo cruiser to athlete

The fascination continues to this day, even on modern customizers, at least if they have a little racing gas in their blood. Like Ulfert Janssen, founder and owner of the Gannet Design studio in Switzerland. Together with the customizers from Numbnut Motorcycles in Amsterdam, he gave a Moto Guzzi California 1400 Eldorado a look that is based on the legendary ancestor. The idea of ​​converting a jumbo cruiser into an athlete, of all things, is pretty crazy. But very original.

Riding the Vanguard is a sensitive task

The new Vanguard Moto Guzzi V8 did not get an eight-cylinder – where from? -, she has to be content with the fat V2 of the Eldorado. Nevertheless, there was plenty to do for Roderick Seibert from Numbnut, who took care of the implementation: He defoliated the Eldorado, welded numerous struts to hold the eggshell cladding, redesigned the tank, seat and handlebars and made it short, black and loud – exhaust pipes. A great challenge for him and his colleagues was the racing-like positioning of the footrests: They were moved back 80 centimeters, as well as the brake pedal and gear shift. Two YSS struts and Firestone Champion Deluxe tires complete the look, and in terms of paintwork, only the racing green of the model from the 50s was an option.

But how does this idiosyncratic hybrid of racer and cruiser ride? Recesses on the tank and a perfectly adapted seat make the position bearable for the driver. Because of the notches moved far back and the narrow steering angle, combined with the weight of well over 300 kilograms, the ride on the Vanguard Moto Guzzi V8 turns out to be a sensitive task for experts, at least in curves. It has that in common with its historical role model: With the original V8, Fergus Anderson, after all two-time world champion on Moto Guzzi and 1955 team manager of the Italians, lay down for the very first test lap. In doing so, he scrapped the engine, of which there was only one copy, and Moto Guzzi had to postpone the Grand Prix debut of the V8 for several months.

Vanguard – fashion, lifestyle and motorcycles

Like many companies from outside the industry, the Dutch fashion brand Vanguard Clothing uses motorcycles as an advertising medium for its products. Because motorcycles are considered cool. The Dutch have been producing men’s fashion since 2006 and have good contacts with Moto Guzzi Netherlands. "Lately we have been raffling off a V7 among our customers every year and using the motorcycles in films and photos," says manager Marlene de Fonkert, "but we wanted something unusual for our new collection."

Vanguard commissioned a trendy conversion from Numbnut Motorcycles in nearby Amsterdam. The customizers largely had a free hand in the implementation, and the Vanguard fashion designers meanwhile tailored the matching “V8 Racer” jeans. De Fonkert emphasizes that it does not have any real protective functions, but it is quite durable and, according to the advertising text: "It breathes motorcycle spirit." Well then.

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