The first motorcycle space at the world famous Concorso d’Eleganza, Villa d’Este on Italy’s Lake Como, was open over the weekend. We gave you the full list of Villa d’Este vintage bikes, but here are some pics and the winner of the Best in Show. The Pierce Four was awarded the BMW Group trophy for Best of Show.

The model was originally inspired by the F.N Belgium bikes, and the Pierce American model has a four-cylinder engine with 4 hp and a top speed of 97 km/hr. The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company built cars at Buffalo/New York, but the son of the owner, Percy Pierce, was interested in building bikes as well.

The first American four-cylinder model was the result and it was based on the 1909 F.N. model, but with chassis upgrades. The use of three robust tubes was an important innovation at the time, and in 1910 a two-speed transmission was added. Production stopped in 1913.

Vintage motorcycles at Villa d’Este

Continue reading: Pierce Four takes Best in Show at Villa d'Este inaugural motorcycle space

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Italy’s Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza for automobiles is a world famous concours hosting some of the most beautiful concept and vintage cars you’ll ever see. To give you an idea, the 2011 Villa d’Este event will host a new Aston Martin-Zagato concept and a one-off Ferrari built specially for an American collector. And now we’ll see the inaugural Villa d’Este motorcycles space on the shores of Lake Como.

The gardens of the Gran Hotel Villa d’Este and the Villa Erba in Cernobbio will also host 35 motorcycles from 1910 until today in five different categories including concept motorcycles and examples of innovative motorcycle design over the years. The categories and the bikes on show are as follows:

Class A Pioneers, pre-1917 motorcycles
- F.N. 5 hp, 1910 Belgium - four-cylinder motorcycle made by F.N which originally produced arms and ammunition.
- Pierce Four, 1910 USA - Inspired by the F.N, the Pierce had a four-cylinder, 4-hp engine and top speed of 97 km/hr.
- Wilkinson Touring Auto Cycle, 1910 UK - Designed by PG Tacchi, it was a revolutionary bike built on a Gran Turismo platform.
- Husqvarna Moto-Reve, 1910 Sweden - equipped with a 274 cc twin-cylinder, it was the first Husqvarna branded bike.
- Militaire Autocycle, 1915 USA - Defined by the company itself as a “car with two wheels” it had an automobile-style aluminium steering system and a four cylinder engine.
- Pope Twin, 1916 USA - using a V-Twin engine and valve heads it had about 25 hp. Rear suspension was innovative - a bike subsequently copied by many manufacturers.

Continue reading: Motorcycles now at Concorso d'Eleganza, Villa d'Este

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