There is a feeling in business that you can’t make money with a blind passion for engineering and design. You need “bean counters” to keep things in check. To make sure you don’t go too far….
If anyone proved this wrong it was Enzo Ferrari. In the world of four wheels, Ferrari pursued design and engineering perfection with a passion never before seen. Always a relatively small, niche manufacturer, Ferrari nevertheless found a way to race for several world championships against larger, corporate-sponsored competitors. Most recently, with the help of outside sponsors, Ferrari has dominated F1 through the driving efforts of Michael Schumacher.
Moreover, Ferrari has survived financially with a seemingly simple corporate goal, i.e. build the very best, price it accordingly, and there will always be customers ready, willing and able to buy.
MV Agusta has emerged as the Ferrari of the two-wheeled world. With a dreamer like Claudio Castiglioni at the helm, and the greatest motorcycle designer of the past two decades, Massimo Tamburini, in charge of design and engineering (and also a part owner), MV is taking similar Italian passion and commitment, and turning out such instant classics as the F4 and the Brutale.
Combining this passion with the financial muscle of Proton, which recently infused massive capital into the MV operation, should lead to even more special motorcycles destined to be historically significant.
Never underestimate the importance of a single designer. Tamburini has already left his indelible mark on motorcycling (remember the Ducati 916?) and the stunning beauty of his designs is no product of chance. Tamburini has a gift for motorcycle design unmatched by anyone else on the planet at this point in history. Prepare to be dazzled.
