FULL MONTY
M
ontesa got its start in
Barcelona in 1939 when
Pere Permanyer Puigjaner
began building gas
generators to run cars
during the World War Two
energy crisis. These generators kept thousands
of Spanish vehicles moving, as well as
providing fuel for electricity generation.
With the end of the war in sight, Puigjaner
realised that fuel supplies would soon return
to normal and his gas generators would be
history. What he knew would be needed was a
cheap form of transport, so he turned his
attention to motorcycles.
Business partner Josep Antoni Soleri Urgell,
or “Jasu”, introduced him to an expert rider
called Francisco Bulto, and the three of them
went into the motorcycle manufacturing game.
The first prototype was ready by the end of
- It was entered in its first event in
February, 1945, but broke. It was back to the
drawing board, where improvements were
made, and in June of that year three bikes
were shown at the Barcelona Trade Fair
wearing the Montesa name.
This was a notable achievement because
Spain’s political isolation made it enormously
difficult for manufacturers to obtain raw
materials or parts. The show bike was a 98cc
three-speeder available with rear suspension,
no suspension or in a women’s version.
Montesa was producing bikes on an
assembly line, the first firm to do so in Spain,
but in its first year it only produced 21. It
soon became well known due to success in
local competition in the 100cc and 125cc
road racing classes as well as international
events, with a win in the Barcelona GP.
Under Senor Bulto’s guidance, four
Montesas were entered in the 1948 Dutch TT
at Assen, finishing fifth, ninth and 15th, with
one DNF. So successful was the new bike that
orders were growing faster than they could be
filled, so bigger premises were found.LOCAL SUCCESS
At the 1951 Barcelona Trade Fair, Montesa
displayed a new model with a telescopic fork,
better brakes and the red paint scheme that
was to become synonymous with the brand. By
this time Montesa was not only entering the
Isle of Man TT but had moved into off-road
competition by running bikes at the ISDT up
the road, in Varese, Italy.
In 1953 Montesa participated in its first
trade fair outside Spain when it debuted the
Brio 90 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was a
company on the way up, despite the
difficulties of doing business from Spain.Due to the exposure it was getting from
competition, mostly in road racing, it was soon
exporting to other European countries as well
as South America and the USA.
When Montesa stopped racing to
concentrate on production, Senor Bulto quit.
His love of competition and belief that it was
the best way forward led him to form his own
company, Bultaco.
In 1960, gifted motocross rider Pedro Pi
joined the company, first as a rider then as a
technician and designer, and Montesa was on
the road to building dirtbikes.
Pi won the 1961 Spanish Motocross
Championships for Montesa in both the 125cc
and 250cc classes and took home the 250
title again the following year.
Again a newer and bigger factory was
needed, which opened in 1963. The new
Impala model was tested with a team of five
bikes riding the African continent from Cape
Town to Cairo. Such was the reputation gained
by the Impala that it is still a sought-after
model among Spanish vintage enthusiasts.
Montesa was employing 460 people and
pumping out 11,000 bikes a year and the first
motocross model, the Impala Cross, was
available in 175cc and 250cc. The bike was
popular in the USA and Steve McQueen was a
Montesa rider in his early days.http://www.adbmag.com.au APRIL 2016 | 107