Italjet Motorcycles

Italjet was founded in Bologna, Italy, formally registered as Italemmezeta on February 4, 1960, by Leopoldo Tartarini, a successful 1950s racer who had won the Motogiro d'Italia and the Milano-Taranto. The company's original name reflected its first product, a 125cc machine built around an East German MZ engine. In 1962 Tartarini launched a sporty moped called the Italjet, and the name stuck, becoming the company's identity going forward. Over 44 years, Italjet developed more than 150 motorcycle and scooter models, many with unconventional, boundary-pushing designs - work distinctive enough that examples have been displayed at New York's MoMA and Guggenheim museums. Leopoldo Tartarini died in September 2015, and the company passed to his son, Massimo Tartarini, who has continued developing new Italjet models, including a modern revival of the classic Dragster scooter launched in 2018.