Moto Guzzi’s iconic Mandello del Lario factory being redesigned
Moto Guzzi’s 100-year-old Mandello del Lario factory is undergoing major refurbishment and redesign.
Moto Guzzi has pulled back the covers on work taking place to completely overhaul its iconic Mandello del Lario factory.
The Italian motorcycle brand has built its bikes on the banks of Lake Como for more than a century and its factory has long served as a place of pilgrimage for Moto Guzzi fans. But, of course, it wasn’t originally built to welcome those fans. This redevelopment aims to address that.
“The historic Moto Guzzi factory… is being transformed into a cutting-edge, multifunctional space,” declares a media release. “Rooted between lake and mountains, the site is evolving into a symbol of the brand’s future - where heritage meets innovation, and tradition embraces technology.”
The brand has released a 5-minute video to give fans a sense of the changes taking place. Hosted by project designer Greg Lynn, it shows that the factory campus will be much more customer-focused, with a larger museum, eating areas, and a shop.
“This is more than a renovation: it’s the creation of a new global benchmark in motorcycle manufacturing,” proclaims a media release promoting the video. “The new next-generation production lines, already operational, feature state-of-the-art technology.”
I got a chance to visit the Moto Guzzi factory about six years ago, when the V85 TT was first launched. It was an incredibly cool experience, but I’ll admit that certain parts of the factory felt pretty old and dusty, and neglected.
This overhaul will be incredibly good news for Moto Guzzi fans, because it inherently demonstrates commitment to the brand from Piaggio.
The 104-year-old Moto Guzzi brand has been owned by Piaggio since 2004. However, there have been times during that two-decades relationship when Guzzistas (ie, people who REALLY love Moto Guzzis) have questioned Piaggio’s dedication to the brand. During most of the 2010s, for example.
This modernisation of the factory should help ease those concerns. If Piaggio’s willing to sink loads of money into an updated factory, one assumes that means it has faith in the brand’s future.
“When people come visit the factory, they’re going to find it’s been radically transformed,” says Lynn.
Moto Guzzi says that it expects the redevelopment work to be completed by mid-2026, and expects to welcome visitors with a grand opening in September 2026.
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
