Casalini (founded in 1939 by Giovanni Casalini), is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

company that makes

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...

s and

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are often ...

s. Casalini S.R.l. is the oldest microcar producer in the world. The factory is situated in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

. The current range of Casalini microcars have bodies made of reinforced fibre glass plastic. The engine is a 635cc diesel produced by

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

, with .

History

The factory produced three-wheelers and moped bikes up until the late 1960's. The first microcar left the factory in 1969. The Sulky, which at that time was a three-wheel vehicle, was unusual in its class for having a steel monocoque body. It was mostly made for people without a driving license and had an engine with less than 50 cc (a 49.6 cc

Vespa TL3 engine Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to ...

). There was also a 125 cc version. This car was also exported to France, where it was sold by the local

Lambretta Lambretta () is the brand name of mainly motor scooters, initially manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti. The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and wher ...

distributor as the Willam Sulky. A four-wheeled model with a slightly longer body was also developed, for export only. This was called the Willam Lambretta and also had 49 cc and 125 cc engine options; the larger-engined version has rectangular headlamps rather than round. The Sulky/Bretta have rear-wheel-drive and coil springs, the Bretta with wishbone front suspension. The first Sulky was produced in large quantities, exceeding 10,000 units. From 1994, when Italy accepted the European directive 92/61, Casalini S.r.l. began to produce light

quadricycle Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels. In 1896 Henry Ford named his first vehicle design the "Quadricycle". it ran on four bicycle wheels, with an engine driving the back wheels.Brinkley, David, ''Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His ...

s for sale in Italy as well. The first one of these was the Kore 500. The technical and aesthetic evolution of this vehicle was called Sulkydea (1996), Ydea (2000), Sulkydea LV (2004) and Sulky (2008). Over the past few years, the production of two transport and leisure time vehicles have been added: Kerry and Pickup. In 2010 the M10 was presented, a four-wheel vehicle also available in a sporty "Daytona" version. Two other connected companies supply Casalini S.r.l. in the production of Sulky, Kerry and Sulky Pickup: Mech-Plant S.r.l., that deal with metallic composition, and Target S.r.l., that deal with plastic/ABS (

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula (C8H8)''x''·(C4H6)''y''·(C3H3N)''z'' is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is approximately . ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point. A ...

) material. The Sulky (now M10), Kerry, and Pickup have a strong structure, constituted by a frame in steel treated against corrosion and by a composite material body that secures both active and passive safety. Visibility is ensured by large glass door surfaces, while disc brakes front and rear increase safety. The speed limitation of 45 km/h further enhances important safety elements. Casalini S.r.l. is present in all markets of the European Union.

External links

Official website of Casalini Srl

References

{{Automotive industry in Italy Car manufacturers of Italy Microcars Quadricycles Moped manufacturers