Is it real?

Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans Production Racer

A publisher once said I didn’t like any Moto Guzzi story I didn’t write. I’ll admit it now as I did then, but the reasons have less to do with vanity and more from being excluded from the experience. Guzzi being my personal machine, thirty-plus years of journo work has expanded my interests to include mental movies of twisting a Works MV through the banks at Misano, or crawling under the paint of a Harris Z1. That said, Guzzi history remains a strong passion, and thanks to excellent coleagues (and luck) we’ve cracked a few Guzzi-related mysteries, but there’s always more to learn. Dated back to it’s mid-60s origins and continuously developed, this writing focuses on Guzzi’s Le Mans flashbike. Subtitle: 850 Production Racer.

Growing annually as a premium collectible, the Le Mans 850 is arguably Mandello’s most popular motorcycle. Introduced in 1975, the 850 followed three sports 750s produced (and sometimes imported to the US) between 1971 and 1975. There’s more behind those words than a simple lead in, as a tremendous amount of twin-cylinder development was happening both in and outside the factory gates. Invested heavily in his multis, the existence of the Le Mans is proof that Guzzi boss De Tomaso accepted the SEI’s failure as a marquee leader. This information comes from trusted sources, who added that few shared De Tomaso’s enthusiasm for the inlines, leaving the owner to learn what his customers wanted the hard way. 

Another rumored part is a longer but similar-styled 24-liter aluminum fuel tank, but the ex-factory workers posting on social media say few were made. There isn’t much to distinguish a PR from the stock 850, the truncated exhaust being the biggest hint, and Guzzi continued to offer the kit for both Le Mans 850II and 850III (1980 model 850II in red) production. The kit disappeared in 1984 after the factory 1000cc Le Mans’ release but remained in stock for years. “Note the exclusion of a lightened flywheel,” says Guzzi LSR record champion Billoni Ross. “Apparently less isn’t always more.”

Digging deeper, credit both veteran Guzzi maven Joe Caruso and Ross for sending long collected docs from their files. No question the most telling of these was a 1980 advert from UK importer Coburn & Hughes. Looked at but not studied I was mildly stunned to see ‘Le Mans 850 ‘Production Racer’ listed among C&H’s docket of available models. Now English lore the “PR” label was an instantly recognizable catch phrase, calling up visions of proddy built Commandos and Thruxtons in the land where the term originated. To be sure Colburn and Hughes were responsible for several home market specials, including the Le Mans 850II black & gold and a line of SP 1000 tourers in black-tie livery. We haven’t seen another importer list the PR, but we haven’t seen everything. Period tests from Italy and Holland both showcased this tuned Le Mans, some with 1000cc cylinders and Lafranconi slip-ons in place of the open PR exhaust. Waiting on clarification the question hangs: did Coburn & Hughes order the PR built, offer the kit, or both?

Not so, according to author Sean Hawker, who penned a cover-worthy article on a factory-built PR published in Classic Bike magazine’s December 1994 issue. This machine (^ above in racing trim)  was presumably a factory-prepped PR  imported from Italy by Bryants of Biggleswade and was clocked with rider Charlie Sanby at 155-mph in the 1978 TT. Purchased by Roger Hamilton in 1979 after unsuccessfully trying to order one the year before, Hamilton was thrilled after being told each were made to order, half was needed up front and the wait was six-months. There’s nothing in writing I’ve found, but with enough sources saying the same thing we’re looking for fire under that PR smoke. Good sources say it was possible to buy direct in Mandello, but only after trying to pursuade customers towards the nearest import dealer. Created to generate interest and income, accessories are geared for dealership profit and Guzzi’s own published documents strongly suggest the PR kit be installed by a ‘certified technician’. There’s no doubt the majority of PRs were kits, but how many secrets can one motorcycle keep?

“The Works PR is quite rare, not many of them were sold,” says Cannizzaro. “The Le Mans was originally intended as a tuned ‘R’ of the latest declination of the V7 Sport; the 750 S3. This model was meant to receive the most relevant interest. The Le Mans (as in, the 850 Production Racer) was to be offered only for the sporty customer; those people who could finish the transformation into a full on racing machine. Moto Guzzi believed they would sell only a few, but instead the Le Mans had a much greater success than expected.” This does explain the original S3 homologation, showing the engine in a much higher state of tune. Instead, the Le Mans was a hit and the S3 didn’t last a year. “The racing kit could have included an large 24-liter tank, which was longer. The original seat was shaped to fit it, and the empty volume under the front made it prone to breaking. According to Bruno Scola, only a few of the extended tanks were made. It was never entered into the catalogue.” Looking over to rival Ducati, it’s interesting to note the same type of demand bumped the 900 Desmo Super Sport from racing special to production as well.