VOL. 53 ISSUE 29 JULY 26, 2016 P83
haven't thought about a price,
apart from working out how
much it's cost us so far to create
these two prototypes. We floated
the idea that a limited edition
hand-built replica might cost as
much as 330,000 euros, just to
see what the public response
would be, and let's just say we
were very surprised at it!
"Okay, so how did the T12
Massimo come about? My dad
thought about the design for
three years, but never produced
any drawings until the day the
no-compete clause ended in
January 2012. He then gathered
the three industry partners and
me around him, and explained
that his objective was to produce
a bike, which incorporated what
he termed the essence of motor-
cycling. He told us this was go-
ing to be his last project, and he
wanted it to encompass all that
he had learned in his life as a
designer, and to incorporate as
many of the elements he hadn't
been able to adopt in the past
on any of his previous designs,
for whatever reason, commer-
cial, financial, etc.
"At that stage he had no
concerns about his health, but
even so he accepted and even
intended that this would be his
last great design. Sadly, he
found out he was ill in Septem-
ber 2013, and his health went
downhill very fast after that. He
passed away in April 2014." CN
THE PERFECT TRIBUTE
"A
t the stage that
Papa passed away
the only things we didn't
yet have to assemble
the motorcycle were the
machined magnesium
castings for the chas-
sis—everything else had
been delivered, includ-
ing the bodywork and
other frame components.
I brought many of the
parts to show him in his
bedroom, and I assured
him before he left us
that I would complete
the project exactly as
he had conceived it, so
that's what I have done.
He was working on the
project right up until the
day before he died, and
thanks to Paolo Picchi
that day I was able to take
him an incredibly realistic
computer image of the
finished bike, as well as
photos of all the compo-
nents we'd assembled,
so he could be comforted
by the knowledge that the
bike would live after him,
and that's what's hap-
pened. He was always
very self-critical of his de-
signs—some he'd say he
hated, and wanted to start
all over again to design
them "properly!" Well, this
time, even though he was
quite heavily sedated, he
looked at all the images
I'd brought him of the T12,
which I personally think
looks best from the rear
three-quarter view, which
it's always difficult for
designers to get right be-
cause of the visual domi-
nance of the rear tire. He
looked through them all,
then pointed at the rear
three-quarter shot and
said, 'This is a beautiful
bike—it even looks good
from the rear!'"
It's doubtful you'll ever see a T12 in the metal,
but isn't it nice to know, somewhere in the world,
people are still building bikes like this?
