Guardian Angel: 1957 Mondial 250 GP Bialbero

By Hamish Cooper
Published on August 8, 2018
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Two hipster skateboarders interrupt their “kick turns” with a “tail stop” as they sight something they’ve never seen before.

The setting is the crowded, semi-industrial neighborhood South of Market in San Francisco, California, a city that has had a reputation of “anything goes” since the end of World War II. In this area street-skaters are as welcome as collectors of vintage motorcycles, so it’s not unusual to see both on the street at the same time.

However, today is different. The sight is a genuine Grand Prix winner being pushed across a pedestrian crossing. The skaters reverently place their boards under their arms and a meeting of two subcultures takes place.

Later, the man with the Grand Prix 250cc machine that won last year’s Quail Motorcycle Gathering explains: “Of course they had never heard of the Mondial marque, but they were enthralled by its beauty and fascinated by its design. Skateboarders are typically interested in speed as well as industrial design as it applies to their boards. They tend to be non-conformist and enjoy taking risks, pretty much the same as motorcyclists! So, those guys ‘got it’ and it was a special meeting of two related subcultures who have an innate understanding of each other’s motivations.”

Man of Mondial

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