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, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

company that designs, manufactures, and distributes "light vehicles". Founded in 1939, Casalini is one of the oldest

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 ofte ...

producers in the world. The Casalini production factory is located in

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

, Italy. The current line of Casalini microcars have bodies made of reinforced fiberglass plastic and feature a 635cc diesel engine 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 traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

, with .

History

The factory manufactured three-wheelers and moped bikes until the late 1960s. In 1969, they introduced their first microcar called the Sulky. The Sulky stood out in its class for featuring a steel monocoque body. It was primarily designed for non-licensed drivers and equipped with an engine under 50 cc, specifically a 49.6 cc Vespa TL3 engine. A 125 cc version was also available. The Sulky was also exported to France, where it was sold by the local

Lambretta Lambretta () was a brand of motor scooters, 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 where the factory was locat ...

distributor as the Willam Sulky. A four-wheeled model with a slightly longer body was also developed exclusively for export called the Willam Lambretta. It was produced with two engine options; 49 cc and 125 cc. the larger-engined version was given rectangular headlamps rather than round ones. Both the William Sulky and Lambretta had rear-wheel-drive and coil springs, with wishbone front suspension being exclusive to the Lambretta. Over 10,000 units of the first Sulky were produced. After 1994, when Italy accepted European directive 92/61, Casalini S.R.I. began to produce light

quadricycle The Quadricycle was an early form of automobile. Earliest models were propelled by a small steam engine, then designers switched to early internal combustion engines as they became available. The word is derived from the fact that it had four ...

s for sale in Italy as well, starting with the Kore 500. The developments of this vehicle were called Sulkydea (1996), Ydea (2000), Sulkydea LV (2004), and Sulky (2008). Over the past few years, the production of two transport and leisure vehicles have been added: Kerry and Pickup. In 2010, the M10 was announced, a four-wheeled vehicle also available in a sporty "Daytona" variant. Two other connected companies supply Casalini S.R.I in the production of Sulky, Kerry, and the Sulky Pickup. Mech-Plant S.R.I, involved with the metallic aspects of the vehicles, and Target S.R.I, Which is involved with the 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 ...

) aspects of the vehicles. The Sulky (now the M10), Kerry, and Pickup models feature corrosion-treated steel frames and composite material bodies. These cars feature glass doors, front and rear disc brakes, and a safety speed limit of 45 km/h (28 mph). Casalini S.R.I operates in all European Union markets. Casalini_Sulky.JPG, Casalini Sulky truck Casalini_M10_Daytona_fR.jpg, 2011 Casalini M10 Daytona 2011 Casalini M10 Daytona rear.jpg, 2011 Casalini M10 Daytona (rear)

External links

Official website of Casalini Srl

References

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