Bruno Cavalieri Ducati, Founder of Ducati Motor, Dies at 96 Years of Age

 Ducati Honorary President Since 1998, Last of the Three Brothers Who Founded
    The Company from Borgo Panigale, Dies in a Rest Home at Ispra, on Lake
                                   Maggiore

    BOLOGNA, Italy, May 16 The following is being issued by
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.:

    The second son of Engineer Antonio Cavalieri Ducati, Bruno Cavalieri
Ducati, founder of Ducati Motor, died on May 14, 2001.
    Born on November 05, 1904, Bruno founded the "Societa Scientifica Radio
Brevetti Ducati" in 1926 with his brothers Adriano and Marcello. The brothers
applied their father's engineering and electrical patents to the manufacturing
of tuning capacitors and radios and worked with Guglielmo Marconi, the
inventor of the Radio. From these beginnings, the great and varied adventure
of Ducati manufacturing -- from radios, razors and calculators to the
high-performance motorcycles of the modern era -- began.
    It was Bruno who, as a young architect, designed the then cutting-edge
Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale (on the outskirts of Bologna) and laid the
first stone on June 1st, 1935. The factory was later bombed to the ground
during the Second World War.
    After the war, Bruno became Managing Director of Ducati and successfully
acquired the patent for the production of a micro-engine. The engine was
attached to a bicycle frame and the product, called "Cucciolo" or "Puppy,"
became one of the early Italian motorcycles. It revolutionized transport in
post-war Italy and went on to sell in the hundreds of thousands. The Cucciolo
laid the basis for Ducati's later spectacular success in the field of
two-wheeled vehicles and racing.
    Today, we at Ducati remember Bruno Cavalieri Ducati -- appointed Cavaliere
del Lavoro in 1939 -- with admiration, gratitude and affection. Even in his
old age he maintained close contacts with the Company, publishing his memories
in 1991, in a book called, "Storia della Ducati."
    In a year in which Ducati celebrates its 75th anniversary, we pay homage
to the man who founded it all and honour his achievements, which are
continuing sources of inspiration to us all.
    The funeral honours will be celebrated in Bologna, on Thursday May 17,
2001 at 11.30 a.m.