The Ducati Cucciolo was a 4-stroke clip-on

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

for motorized bicycles conceived during and shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

by a

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

lawyer, Aldo Farinelli, and developed with a self-taught engineer, Aldo Leoni. During the war, Aldo Farinelli began working with the small Turinese firm

Siata Siata (''Società Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori'' in English ''Italian Car Transformation Accessories Company'') was an Italian car tuning shop and manufacturer founded in 1926 by amateur race car driver Giorgio Ambrosini. Siata initiall ...

(Società Italiana per Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie) with the idea of developing a small

that could be mounted on a bicycle. Farinelli's and Leone's first prototype was running on the streets of Turin in Autumn of 1944. The yapping sound of the engine's short stubby exhaust inspired the name ''Cucciolo'' ("little puppy") for the motor. Weighing a little over and giving when installed in a bicycle. On July 26, barely one month after the official liberation of the country, Siata announced their intention to sell Cucciolo engines to the public. It was the first new automotive design to appear in postwar Europe. Some businessmen bought the little engines in quantity and installed them in frames, thus offering for sale the first complete units. Soon demand outstripped the limited production capabilities, so Siata found a manufacturing partner in

Borgo Panigale Borgo Panigale (Bolognese dialect: ''Al Båurg'', ''Båurg Panighèl'') was a district of Bologna, northern Italy. Located in the city's western part, between the rivers Lavino and Reno, it had a population of 24,935 in 2009. Since 2016 it has be ...

, near

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

. Ducati was a well-known name in electronics and appliances, and in the post-war torn Italy, it was seeking new opportunities to employ its workers and facilities, so a licensing agreement with Siata was reached. Production rose from 15 units in 1946 to over 25,000 in the following years, when Ducati reached an exclusive agreement for the production. In 1952, with 200,000 Cucciolos already sold, Ducati finally offered its own complete

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 typ ...

based on the successful little pull rod engine, removing the pedals and adding a 3 speed gearbox, creating the model 48 (produced until 1954) and model 55E and 55R. The model 48's fuel tank was integrated into the frame, and a swingarm type rear suspension. The following models were becoming more and more real motorcycles, with pressed-steel frames. The engine capacity grew to 60 cc, models 60 and 60 Sport, and finally to 65 cc, 65 Sport, 65T, 65TL and 65TS. The Cucciolo engine was gradually replaced by the 98 model line which started in 1952 and its production ended when the 65 line was dropped in 1958.

Notes

References

*Musi, Giuliano (2006). Il Cucciolo, un gigante. Minerva Edizioni. . (in Italian) *Falloon, Ian (2005). Standard Catalog Of Ducati Motorcycles 1946–2005. Krause Publications.

External links

Ducati Cucciolo
at Ducati.com Heritage. {{Ducati Cucciolo Ducati Cucciolo Motorcycles introduced in the 1940s

See also

Notes

References

External links