In 2020 the 75th anniversary of Montesa will be celebrated , the oldest motor brand in Spain and one of the most traditional in the world. To celebrate this anniversary, Montesa returns to surprise with a new and unpublished exhibition. On this occasion, the exhibition takes place at the Museu de la Moto de Bassella , one of the leading museums in the world of motorcycles in Spain. The exhibition can now be visited and will be open to the public until April 11, 2021 .
The exhibition ” Montesa, 75 years of an unrepeatable adventure ” has little or nothing to do with the recently closed “Montesa, the forging of a myth” that housed the Palau Robert in Barcelona. If in this first show the brand sought to exhibit and publicize its most emblematic models through a chronological journey, this time, at the Moto Museum Hon, the objective has been very different. On this occasion, the visitor will be able to enjoy authentic collector’s pieces , many of them unpublished , grouped by categories: touring, motocross, trial, enduro, competition … Within each of these routes, a chronological order will also be followed.
As explained by the curators of the exhibition, Pep Itchart and Santi Ruiz , the exhibition includes the largest collection of private pieces seen so far . “ It is very difficult for all the motorcycles in the exhibition to be reunited under the same conditions. It is an unprecedented and almost unrepeatable milestone for the history of Montesa and motorcycling ”, they affirm.
Among the exclusive and important motorcycles that the fan will find in the exhibition, a unique sample of competition units stands out , among which are three Sprint models (1954, Leif Smedh; 1956, JR Eizaguirre; and 1958, R. Quinanilla), two models participating in the Isle of Man TT (XLE-51, which managed to reach 135 km / h.), the first Montesa participating in the ISDT (D-51 Varesse), the 250 Twin cylinder with rotary valve engine (1966), the popularly known as “ Uruguay ” (1959) or a water-cooled Brio (1957).
On the other hand, the exhibition also includes some prototypes little seen to date such as the Fura (1958), a whole concept of innovation ahead of its time, as well as unpublished engine units, bicycles and other productions. Obviously, in the exhibition the fan will also be able to enjoy the most emblematic models of the brand, such as the Impala, the Brio or the Cota.
The exhibition shows the importance of research and design , experimenting with new engines and technical solutions for different disciplines of motorcycle riding. According to Ichart and Ruiz, “ Montesa’s life is at the same time a sign of improvement. When the socio-economic context was not favorable, the agreement and subsequent absorption by Honda allowed the brand to survive with a new range of trial models that now, with Toni Bou, represent absolute dominance in the World Championship ”.
