Italian Motorcycles

Today in Motorcycle History

Tomaselli Motorcycles

A Brief History of the Marque

Manufactured: 1929-1939*

Via Antoniio Cecchi 39. (1935)

This Turin company built a range of sports motorcycles with engines in displacements of 175cc to 500cc from a variety of suppliers. It appears that there were in total three different Tomaselli production companies - the first was the Tomaselli brothers, followed by Ugo Tomaselli, and then postwar the Domino Tommaselli (with an extra "m").

1929-1930 Mentions 3 addresses, one for the brothers and two for Ugo. All engines are JAP.

1932-1933 Villiers 150cc and 175cc, and JAP engines in SV and OHV. Sturmey Archer engines were also employed.

1934 Engines are JAP, Mercury and Villiers

1935 models: J250 JAP OHV. C350 Peco or Calthorpe; SA 500 Sturmey Archer, J500 Sport JAP OHV, B500 Blackburne SV & OHV, M500 Mercury, C500 Peco Calthorpe, J600 JAP SV, SA 250 & SA 600 Sturmey Archer Tomaselli production motorcycles appeared with single cradle frames which divided into two tubes below the engine.

1936 JAP 250 SV, Mercury 250 OHV, Mercury 500 OHV engines, along with a number of sporting victories. Bosch electrics were in use.

Postwar, the Tomaselli marque was acquired by Domino, and the brand name had an extra letter added to become Tommaselli. Motorcycles were produced under that name by Domino, and used frames of the earlier double-cradle type.

* 1929-1939 Milani, 1931-1939 Tragatsch.

Sources: MC Storico Conti, Milani, Tragatsch p284, et al.

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