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• Engine: 123cc 2-stroke single cylinder

• Transmission: 3 Speed Manual

• Year: 1955

• Frame #: 03948

• Engine #: 03948

• Registration: PG 35316

• Mileage:

• Exterior Colour: Red

• Interior colour and material:

Vehicle history
This 1955 Maserati 125 Turismo is a very rare example of one of Italy’s more unusual post-war motorcycle marques. According to a copy of the Automobile Club d’Italia Public Register licencing records, this 123cc 2-stroke single cylinder motorcycle was first registered in Perugia on August 5th 1955.

I first owned this Maserati in 2012 when I bought it from a vendor in England who had been tasked with dispersing the Italian owners large collection of motorcycles. I was told at the time that it had been thoroughly restored in 2010 and had seen very little use while in the owners collection in Italy. Indeed, the fuel tank was dry when I acquired it and I made no attempts to start it before selling it a few months later to a Scottish collector who promptly took it to his beautiful chateau in France. And there it remained, unused, as part of a large collection of Italian motorcycles. Many years later the owner moved the motorcycle to their residence in Scotland and it was placed on display in their sitting room; an act entirely understandable considering the beauty and condition of this motorcycle.

The owner contacted me in January 2021 and asked if I would like to buy it back, which I did without hesitation, and promptly had it collected from Scotland and brought to London. Having not been started in over ten years, after fitting a new fuel tap and hose, and some fresh fuel, it fired into life with relative ease and ran well, and on my short ride around private roads all three gears selected easily and worked as they should.

I have carried out a NOVA declaration (as this procedure was not in place in 2012) but will not be registering it for road use with the DVLA. However, the motorcycle does have copies of the original Automobile Club d’Italia Public Register licencing records as mentioned earlier, as well as its early Italian licence plate.

With the exception of a few very minor chips and scratches to the paintwork accumulated during the past eleven years of storage and transportation, this Maserati is in very good condition and would look fabulous alongside a classic or modern Maserati car in the garage.

A brief history of Maserati motorcycles
The sight of a Maserati badge on a classic motorcycle often surprises people, even those most familiar to the exotic Italian marque.

Wealthy industrialist Adolfo Orsi from Modena purchased the ailing Maserati company from its founding brothers in 1937, and by then Maserati was producing spark plugs and machine tools as well as racing cars. In 1939 Adolfo relocated Maserati to Modena and expanded the company to produce batteries and bulbs too, a diversification that proved very successful during the war years. The car and parts companies were separated in 1947 and Fabbrica Candele e Accumulatori Maserati (FCAM) was formed.

After business difficulties in 1953 Adolfo decided to divide his remaining companies amongst his siblings, resulting in Adolfo retaining the car manufacturing division and his sister Ida taking control of FCAM.

Even FIAT cars were financially out of reach for most people after the war so motorcycles and scooters became extremely popular as relatively cheap modes of transport. Many companies diversified or were founded to produce two wheeled motorised transport and Ida Orsi wanted to be involved in this swiftly developing market, so to save money on development costs she purchased an existing company in 1953, Italmoto of Bologna. After relocating Italmoto and the production of its 160cc motorcycle to her own factory in Modena, she simply had the Italmoto badges replaced with Maserati ones and launched the model as the 160/T4. The four-stroke engine produced 7.5hp and had a four-speed gearbox.

Ida then instructed the design department to come up with a whole new range of motorcycles, the first of which was launched in 1954. The new machine was a 4.8hp 123cc two-stroke (with a three-speed gearbox) known as the 125/T2 which became a successful model for the company.

At the 1955 Milan Motorcycle Fair Maserati displayed not only their two-stroke 125 and four-stroke 160 machines, but also 175 (175/T4/S) and 250cc (250/T4/GT) motorcycles, both of which had four-stroke engines boasting twin-spark plug ignition, plus four-speed gearboxes. The 125 and 160 were now also available in Turismo Lusso specification.

In 1956 a range of two-stroke 50cc motorcycles were introduced which featured several different styles of frames suitable for men (50/T2/U and 50/T2/S), women (50/T2/D), and racing (50/T2/SS). All models had a three-speed gearbox and performance for a 50cc was fantastic, especially on the SS whose little 49.6cc engine produced 2.82hp at 6,700rpm (maximum revs being 7,300rpm). A weight of only 49kg resulted in a top speed of 70 to 75kph. Less sporting but a lot more practical however, was the 50/T2/MT which was a three-wheeled pick-up style machine featuring a 2hp engine and three-speed gearbox.

1956 also saw the launch of the T.V. 125/T2 (Turismo Veloce) which sported a higher state of tune (6hp) than the regular 125 but importantly had a 4-speed gearbox, the gears of which were notoriously fragile due to the factory squeezing a fourth gear within the standard three-speed engine casings.

Having learnt some lessons with the TV’s transmission, the 125/GT/Super (GTS) was launched in 1957 featuring a 7hp two-stroke engine but with a more robust four-speed gearbox within newly designed engine side covers.

The L. 75/T2 model was also launched in 1957 and was very similar in design to the 50/T2/U, but featured a 74cc 4.5hp two-stroke engine and a three-speed gearbox.

Unfortunately, after 1957 the company experienced financial struggles and FCAM was finally closed in 1960. The Maserati trident would only then be seen on four wheeled vehicles, back where it all began.

Despite being sensibly priced in their day Maserati motorcycles sold in very small numbers compared to their competitors resulting in all models being extremely rare, with some being rarer than others. Today, the 125 T2 and Turismo Lusso variants are the most common with the 160 not far behind. The 125 TV and GTS models appear extremely rarely and all 50cc and 75cc models are very rare. It is believed that despite adverts appearing at the time launching the 175 model it never progressed from prototype stage and as far as the 250 is concerned, only about twenty are thought to have ever been made.