Flying has always meant freedom. That's perhaps why symbols of flying are so often found in the motorcycling world.
Right from the outset Moto Guzzi's history is full of flying. There is an eagle in its logo and also in the name of so many legendary motorcycles.
In fact the history of the 'Mandello eagle' was begun by three young former World War One airforce pilots: Carlo Guzzi, a brilliant designer and technician, Giorgio Parodi from a wealthy family of Genoa shipbuilders, and Giovanni Ravelli, a leading pre-war ace on the racing tracks.
The first design was for a motorcycle with completely new features as regards frame structure and engine: a horizontal single cylinder with four valves and overhead camshaft. The Parodi family put up the initial capital of 2000 lira. That was how the first Moto Guzzi 500cc came into being, and stamped on the tank were the initials GP (Guzzi-Parodi).
The open-winged eagle was only to appear at a later date in memory of Giovanni Ravelli, who died when his plane crashed just after the war.

Moto Guzzi factory production began in 1921. On 15 March the company 'Società Anonima Moto Guzzi' was founded. The factory stretched over 300 square meters and gave employment to 17 workers.
The best way to launch new motorcycles on the market at that time was racing. Guzzi made its racing debut on 28 May 1921. Four months later, Gino Finzi chalked up the first victory for the new brand name in the classic Targa Florio. It was the first in an extraordinary series of victories (3,329 from 1921 to 1957, when the company's sporting involvement ceased) making Moto Guzzi a household name.

The Sport was followed by the Sport 14 and then, in 1928, the first Moto Guzzi with an elastic frame - the GT. Greeted with some skepticism, this incredible technical innovation was then furthered honed by Guzzi, and by 1935 it was used for the first time in racing. Stanley Woods' victory in the Tourist Trophy that year rewarded the innovative courage of the company from Mandello.

In the meantime the Moto Guzzi range for the general public now boasted two new models: the P175 and the P250. They were to be the first in a line of very popular motorcycles: the PE, the PL, the Egretta, the Ardetta and the celebrated Airone.
On the engines front, research continued to yield good results and in 1933 the first series of V longitudinal engines was introduced. But the single horizontal engines continued to be the hallmark of Moto Guzzi at this time. They were used for three-wheelers, military motorcycles but also on sports and racing models such as the Falcone, Dondolino, Gambalunga and Condor.
After the Second World War, in 1946 Guzzi presented the Guzzino, a very successful 65cc 'motorcycle for everyone'. It consumed a liter of fuel every 40 kilometers and cost 65-70,000 lira. Updated in the mid 1950s, it was renamed the Cardellino.