1965/6 THE LAST TWO YEARS
The big effort spent for the "Motocross" motorbikes in 1964, to ensure a great benefit as image, turned out to be a defeat. The Italian School for the 4-stroke engine, always judged the best for its torque, was literally supplanted by the coming of light and whippy 2-stroke foreign motorbikes as: Greeves, Husquarna, Montesa, Maico and CZ.
The Italian riders too changed their motorbikes, leaving in the warehouses the old glorious Parilla, Aermacchi,
Mival, Bianchi, etc… No Italian Company was ready to face this invasion.
Neither the big industries were ready to shortly
react, and, even if some of them could keep some business,
the same were confused looking to the reality. The same happened to the Parilla Company.
The founder Giovanni had sacrificed himself to see the continuation of his Company, even if it was owned by somebody else now.
Any market niche was explored, trying not to lose the remaining sales' chances. A great attention was paid to
relations with the press, much effort was spent for the National and International market, foreign markets were well followed.
It was all useless, the crisis was in the sector. The motorcycle product was no longer interesting. This is a sad analysis
for those who love motorcycling as we do, but it was the sad reality. Giovanni had sacrificed himself useless? Maybe, but
we can say he found the courage to suffer, just to keep his Parilla Company alive. The Parilla Company was his whole world,
and losing it, he lost his employees, his technicians, his workers, his friends.
We are at the end.
In October, 1966, the SIL Company closed the doors of the Parilla factory, involved in bankruptcy of the financial
group SAFEP, owner of the same and of course also of the Parilla Company, dragged it into bankruptcy.
But Giovanni, the enthusiast who will never give up, always a careful observer of the motorcycles' world, tried one more time
and built, inside the F.I.M.A.S. Company, a very light motorbike to run "Motocross" and "Regularity" classes, assembled with
a new 2-stroke rotary valve engine, with vertical cylinder, with two side sheet metal covers air conveyors,
to obtain better cooling, a separate five speed gearbox, a long inlet duct to the carburettor and a big air box.
This project named "MP" (Moto Parilla) was ready for the beginning of the following season, but unfortunately
remained only at the prototype level. Other projects came out of this brilliant and stubborn great person's mind.
His deep love for motorcycling remained forever unchanged.
Giovanni died on October 21st,1976. All His Creatures stay Alive.
125cc 2-Stroke MP, 1966
125cc 2-Stroke MP, 1966