Gilera Milano Taranto

Before and after WWII, Italy was a haven for street racing. One of those races was the Milano Taranto, reportedly the longest of all the street races and with the added danger of nighttime running. The only entry requirement was a driver’s license and a motorcycle ready to race: a far cry from today’s heavily regulated competitions. Gilera motorcycles were favored by many riders in those days, and in 1956 the final Milano Taranto was won by Pietro Carissoni in a Gilera 500 Saturno. The beautiful machine we're looking at here is a smaller racer from the same year, a...